Police are reporting that a thief has defrauded multiple local people of thousands of dollars as part of grandparent scams.
"The North Bay Police Service has received multiple reports of grandparent scams, in which scammers call elderly individuals claiming to need money to help the victim’s grandchild," says a news release.
"The emergency can vary, but in many of these incidents, the scammers claim the victim’s grandchild has been arrested and needs money for bail. The scammers may pose as the grandchild, a legal representative for the grandchild, or as law enforcement officials. In three instances, victims were defrauded of several thousand dollars."
On February 20 the suspect went to an apartment building in the 100-block of Hughes Road where a victim was defrauded of several thousand dollars. That same day the fraudster targeted the 100 block of Farley Ave and again defrauded a victim of several thousand dollars.
The next day someone in the 200 block of Orange Crescent was also taken for several thousand dollars. A BayToday reader says her father has $6,000 stolen from him.
The thief in these incidents matches the description of a suspect in a grandparent scam being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police in Huntsville.
See: Grandparent scam active in Huntsville
In the two reported cases in Huntsville an elderly woman was defrauded of $5,000 cash by a suspect posing as a bailiff who needed the money to release her grandson from jail. The second report was from an elderly female giving $6,000 to a caller posing as her grandson who called a taxi to pick her up to get to her bank to withdraw cash.
The suspect appears to be a woman with dark hair wearing dark clothing, posing as a bailiff or law enforcement agency member.
Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
Remember to follow these tips provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to help protect yourself against grandparent scams:
If you receive a phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly using a phone number you already have – not one provided by the suspected fraudster.
If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official, hang up and call your local police directly, using a phone number from a reputable source – not one provided by the suspected fraudster
Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately act and request money for a family member in distress
Listen to that inner voice that is screaming at you "This doesn't sound right"
It is important to know the Canadian Criminal Justice System does not allow for someone to be bailed out of jail with cash or cryptocurrency
Be careful what you post online
Scammers can get details that you share on social media platforms and dating sites to target you or get names and details about your loved ones
Don't trust caller ID names and numbers.
Scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and can make it appear as a trusted phone number, also known as spoofing
