Grandparent scams swindle $100K from Winnipeg seniors in 6 days, police say

Seniors in Winnipeg and Brandon are being warnedto beware, aspolicesay they'veseen an recentincrease in what are commonly called "grandparent scams."

That includes more than a dozen reports in less than a week in the provincial capital, with roughly $100,000 in losses.

In grandparent scams, aperson calls an older person, claiming to be a grandchild or other relativewho is in serious legal trouble and needs money immediately, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jay Murray said at a news conference on Thursday.

"We believe that these frauds are being committed byorganized groups. They aren't fly-by-night operations. There's been an increase in calls here in Winnipeg," he said.

Scams are growing and other parts of the provinceand Canada are also affected, he said.

Over the last six days, there have been 15 reports of grandparent or emergency scams in Winnipeg, Murray said.

The caller soundsdesperateand even cries, he said. The personwill sometimes use a first nameand say therequest is urgent.

They sometimes say a gag orderhas been put in place by a judge, so they can't discuss the matter with anyone, including other family members or their bank.

Sometimes the phone is passed to another actor, who claims to be a lawyer and can come across as very professional.

Instructions are given to the victim to inform the bank that the money will be used for home repairs or something similar.

Victims who respond by obtaining money are told a bondsperson will visit their home to pick up the cash.

The amount of money the scammersask for varies from person to person it can be hundreds or thousands of dollars.

"The scammer will likely just feel out how the conversation is going. If they feel they'll be successful, they may tend to ask for more," Murray said.

If the scam is successful, the person might try to get more money from the victim over the following days.

Outsmarting the scammers

Brandon police also issued a warning Wednesday onTwitter about grandparent scams.

Kelly Anderson, who lives inSouris, just southwest of Brandon, said her husband, Gerald,was nearly a victim of a grandparent scam on Wednesday morning.

A young man called them and said "Hi grandpa," but didn't give his name, and eventually tricked Geraldinto saying his grandson's name, Anderson said.

"He went on to tell my husband that he'd been in an accident in Brandon, the airbags had deployed, and he had struck a pregnant woman and he was facing two charges and needed $9,000 to get him out," she told CBC News on Thursday.

When Anderson's husband asked the person he believed to be his 14-year-old grandson why he hadn't contacted his mother or father, the caller didn't have an answer.

Eventually the scammer called back and asked if the couple could come up with less. At that point, Anderson's husband said he was going to call his grandson's father, and the person hung up.

Anderson posted a message on Facebook to warnpeople in her friend group about the scam.

"There are so many elderly people in this community that would believe in a call like that," she said.

But Winnipegger Leonard Bakalinsky, 89,outsmarted one of the scammersa few months ago.

He got a call around 7:30 one morning from aperson who was sobbing and said, "grandpa!"

This set off alarm bells for Bakalinskyhis grandkids call him zayde, a Yiddish word that means"grandpa."

The scammer coaxed him into saying one of his grandson's namesDaniel and then assumed that identity.

Like the call Anderson received, the scammer said he had been in a car accident and needed money to get out of trouble. The real Daniel typically drives to work around that time of day, soBakalinsky was concerned.

But things took a turn when he told the callerhe was going to call Daniel's mom before sending any money.

"That's when things cooled off," Bakalinskysaid. The caller objectedand eventually hung up.

Bakalinskyadvises any other grandparents who thinkthey're being scammedto do what both he and Anderson did tellthe caller they'll contact the child'sparents first.

Warning signs

Murray said it's important to know several things to prevent these frauds from happening.

First of all, police and the courts never send someone to a person's house to collect money. They will also never tell you to lie to the bank about why you're withdrawing money.

The scammers will pressure people to act quickly before they have time to consider what they are doing or agreeing to. It's important to talk to a trusted person before providing anypersonal information or money, especially if it is an unsolicited call.

Police urgepeople to speak with their older relatives aboutthe scamto protect them.

Murray asks anyone who is a victim of a suspected grandparent fraud to report it to police.

"It can be very embarrassing when someone realizes they've fallen for a scam," he said."The reality is many people fall for scams every day, unfortunately. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Reporting the scam can possiblyhelp recover any lost money, and it canhelp preventothers from falling victim, he said.

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