Better Business Bureau is warning senior citizens to be aware of an emerging telephone scam that is preying on grandparents across British Columbia.
BBB has recently received reports about grandparents in areas across British Columbia, including Chilliwack and Surrey, who thought they were aiding their grandchildren by providing money for an emergency situation but were in fact giving thousands of dollars to con artists.
Recently, six seniors were targetted at a Surrey-based seniors’ assisted-living centre by scammers posing as grandchildren. In another case, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre (Phonebusters) reported that two Chilliwack seniors got a call from a con posing as their 22-year-old grandson claiming he was stranded in a Toronto jail.
“This scam preys on the emotions of seniors who want to help their grandchildren,” says Lynda Pasacreta, BBB President and CEO. “We want people to take a step back when they are called, and verify who they are speaking to is a relative and not a scamster.”
Anti-fraud experts call it the "emergency scam" or "grandparent scam," and in B.C. in 2009 it has already sparked 48 complaints and taken in 21 victims for a total loss of $71,123.
Generally, the scam works like this – the grandparent receives a distressed phone call from who they believe is their grandchild. The supposed grandchild typically explains that they have been arrested or involved in an auto accident and need the grandparent to wire money to post bail or pay for damages—usually amounting to a few thousand dollars.
Common scam tactics:
The scam caller might say, “It’s me, your favorite grandchild,” to which the grandparent will guess the name of the grandchild it sounds the most like, and then the call proceeds from there. Another trick is to conversation by saying, "Grandma? Do you know who this is?" Once the grandparent offers a name, the scammers uses it to gain credibility.
BBB would like to offer the following information to avoid this scam:
Confirm identity.
BBB is advising seniors to confirm the status of the individual by calling them directly or verifying the story with other family members before taking any further action.
Wiring money is a red flag.
BBB also advises that any request to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram should be seen as a “red flag” and an immediate tip-off that the call may be part of a scam. Funds sent via wire transfer are hard to track once received by scammers and are usually not recoverable by law enforcement or banking officials.
If you are a victim report it.
For anyone victimized by this type of distressed loved-one call, BBB recommends reporting the incident immediately to local police departments and contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre’s PhoneBusters www.phonebusters.com or by phone, toll free at, 1-888-495-8501.