‘Grandparent Scam’ continues to hit Winnipeg seniors

Winnipeg Police Service is readvising the public of a phone scam that continues to impact seniors.

WPS say they have received more reports of a “Grandparent Scam,” which is when a person phones a senior and pretends to be their grandchild. During the call, the scammer usually tells the senior that their grandchild is in police custody and is in need of money.

In a new update, it is believed a scammer is now claiming to be a police officer and attempts to use components of an existing scam, such as the Grandparent or Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam, which they try to obtain personal information, credit card details, gift cards or money.

At least 17 people have been charged in connection to the “Grandparent Scam” in Manitoba alone.

RELATED:

• Two people charged in Winnipeg ‘grandparent scam’
• 15 new incidents of ‘grandparent scam’ reported in last six days: WPS
• Winnipeg police looking for potential grandparent scam suspect

In Alberta, police said earlier this week that Albertans have lost $3.5 million due to the scam in 2022.

“Some of the challenges exist where they are not always local people making phone calls, so we are always trying to track down who’s calling, and who is making the arrangements for the money to be picked up,” said Det. Pierre Lemire with the EPS investigative response team while providing an update on an investigation into the scam on Wednesday.

“And most of the time, we are being reactive. The victim doesn’t realize they have been scammed until they finally call the relative and say, ‘are you in jail, are you in trouble?’ And then they realize they have been scammed, and the money is long gone.

Winnipeg police say, “the police and courts (including lawyers) will never send someone to your house to collect money or gift cards. They will also never tell you to lie to the bank about the purpose of obtaining money.”

“The police or Canada Revenue Agency will never demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards, or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others.”

Other precautions are also advised by Winnipeg police, which include asking the caller some personal questions that the family member would know and the imposter could not.

-With files from Laura Krause and Kelsey Patterson