Better Business Bureau is warning senior citizens to be aware of an emerging telephone scam that is preying on grandparents across Canada.
BBB has recently received reports about seniors in British Columbia who received calls from scammers pretending to be their grandchildren who are in an emergency and need help.
Seniors are instructed to wire or send money so their grandchildren can be bailed out of jail or other financial trouble. While many seniors have reported the scam without falling prey to it, unfortunately, many others have been victimized. Recent reports from several residential and assisted care facilities in Surrey, British Columbia show the scam has taken a turn for the worse.
“It is obvious that these scammers have no conscience; they are targeting one of the most vulnerable seniors’ populations in our society,” 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 criminal.”
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre is reporting a significant increase in complaints for this scam. In 2009, the Centre received 48 fraud complaints, taking in 21 victims for a province-wide loss of $71,123.
The scammers’ basic tactic is to pose as a grandchild and let the unsuspecting grandparent fill in the blanks. For example, 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.
To protect themselves from this scam, the BBB would like to offer the following information:
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 Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre’s PhoneBusters, a hotline and Web site to report such fraud. Reports can be filed easily online through the PhoneBusters site at: www.phonebusters.com, or by phone, toll free at, 1-888-495-8501.
Learn more about the RCMP Commercial Crime Section who help detect and deter criminal activity within the business and securities community at the local/international level.