Manitoba government to refund victims of ‘Grandparent Scam’
Posted December 21, 2023 12:16 pm.
The Government of Manitoba announced Thursday it will be refunding some of the money stolen from seniors through the “Grandparent Scam.”
Winnipeg police first reported the scam in October 2021, before releasing another warning in July 2022, after individuals involved in the scam were showing up at a victim’s home.
They say scammers have posed as members of government or law enforcement looking to collect bail payments.
In addition, during the scam, officers say a person phones a senior and pretends to be their grandchild. During the call, the scammer usually tells the senior their grandchild is in police custody and needs money.
On July 29, 2022, police charged two people from Ontario who were able to scam 14 Manitobans. However, the scam is still ongoing.
Police say by December 2022, it was believed a scammer was claiming to be a police officer and attempting to use components of an existing scam, such as the Grandparent or Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam, in which they try to obtain personal information, credit card details, gift cards or money.
RELATED:
- ‘Grandparent Scam’ continues to hit Winnipeg seniors
- Two people charged in Winnipeg ‘grandparent scam’
- 15 new incidents of ‘grandparent scam’ reported in last six days: WPS
Thursday’s announcement will see some of the victims receive money from the province’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, which seizes assets or proceeds from criminal activity to support law enforcement and victims.
“We are pleased to be able to get money back to the victims of this scam. It is through the great work by the Criminal Property Forfeiture Branch and the Winnipeg Police Service that not only were the people responsible for this scam arrested, but money also returned,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.
“It is important to note that scams like these can happen to anyone,” said Wiebe. “The people committing crimes like these can be quite convincing and will play on the emotions of the victim, which makes this even more upsetting. The police and courts will never send someone to your house to collect money.”
For more information on the Grandparent Scam, or how to report similar crimes, click here.
