A 96-year-old woman is out $6,000 after a phone scam in which suspects pretended to be her grandson.
According to 100 Mile House RCMP, the woman, who lives in the Vancouver area, was contacted by two individuals claiming to be her grandson and a lawyer. The suspects said the grandson was in a motor vehicle incident and a child had been injured and later died, and money was needed for bail. The grandmother contacted the complainant, and she was put in contact with ‘her son and lawyer’. She was told more money was needed for bail.
Police say the grandmother ended up sending $6,000 to a bank account in another province. The complainant contacted her son regarding the incident, only to learn he had not been involved in an accident or in jail. The suspects reportedly continued their attempts to get more money, but stopped after the victim told them she had caught onto the scam.
100 Mile House RCMP says these situations are common in the area. If confronted with a similar situation where you are asked to give money or financial or personal information, the best course of action is to hang up the phone and contact another family member, the person who is allegedly in trouble, or someone else who is trusted, do not send money, and contact RCMP. Police will be able to assist in determining the well-being of the person involved, or if they are actually in custody.