GRANNY SCAM DUPES 2 WOMEN OF $11,000 IN HUNTSVILLE WEDNESDAY
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
HUNTSVILLE — Two elderly women were duped in to giving a total of $11,000 to a bold scam artist here in a pair of “grandparent scams” yesterday.
Police warn residents there are people in the community conducting grandparent scams.
They ask help identifying suspects.
In the first reported case Wednesday Feb. 19, an elderly woman was defrauded of $5,000 cash by a suspect posing as bailiff who needed the money to release her grandson from jail.
The second case involved another elderly woman who gave $6,000 to a caller posing as her grandson and who called a taxi to pick her up and go to the bank to withdraw cash.
The police suspect appears to a female with dark hair wearing dark clothing and posing as a bailiff or law enforcement agency member.
Police stress that if you receive a suspicious call, remember:
Be suspicious of calls that require immediate action. Hang up and contact the family member directly.
The caller either doesn’t provide a normal jail location for the area if asked or mistakes the local police service. Call the non-emergency number of the police service to verify the story or confirm the name and badge number of the officer calling.
When at the bank, tell the truth about why you’re taking out large sums of cash as bank tellers are very familiar with scams.
The courts won’t ask for cash to bail out someone in custody and will require people to be present in court.
Never send cash, cryptocurrencies or any other funds to unknown person, unverified addresses or bank accounts.
Take time to verify the story by asking the caller a few personal questions or pressing your caller for details. Scammers are counting on you wanting to quickly help your loved one in an emergency.
If you have any information about this or any crime in our community, you can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To report minor occurrences online please visit www.opp.ca/reporting. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit your information online at www.crimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display, and you will remain anonymous. You will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.00.
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