We read so much in the news today about scams. Readers wonder, "How do people keep falling for this?"
But the truth is, these thieves target vulnerable older people...apply emotional pressure, and demand quick action.
A North Bay area family was recently scammed of almost $6,000 and agreed to speak with BayToday to try and warn others.
See: Three locals lose thousands in grandparent scams
And: Grandparent scam active in Huntsville
We've agreed not to name the exact location or the individuals involved, so we'll call the daughter Bea and her dad Cory.
Here's how it all happened, and it's all the more strange because two years ago, Bea's mother-in-law got a call and it was the same scenario. But she told them to phone the other grandparents because they had more money. The scammer hung up.
The latest episode started when Cory, who is 87 years old, got an urgent phone call from the scammers. The voice sounded identical to his grandson, and he needed bail money. "Please don't tell my parents," the voice said.
His grandson goes to school in Ottawa, and Cory assumed it was the Ottawa police
"So he just assumed they were calling and telling him his grandson was in jail and that he needed bail money to get him out. And they gave him a file number. They said it was $5,800 that they needed, in cash. My dad offered to pay with a credit card and they said they couldn't do that. It had to be cash only. "
So he went to the bank and withdrew the money.
The bank teller questioned the withdrawal but Cory said, "It was for personal reasons."
So he got the money and called the scammers back.
"They leave a number, probably a burner phone, and Dad said," 'I will drop it off at the North Bay Courthouse and have them send it to you.'"
But the thieves were adamant. "No. Keep the money. Take the money and go back to your home. We will send a courier to pick it up."
It's at this point Cory starts to think about the situation and now realizes there are so many red flags, but he continues on anyway, concerned about the situation his grandson finds himself in.
So Cory returned home, and he called them again when he arrived. By that point, they were already in the neighbourhood.
"While he was on the phone with them, they were parked in our neighbor's driveway across the road, and when they realized he was home, they pulled up onto the side of the road beside the house," explained Bea. "They didn't go into the driveway but they pulled up on the side of the road. We have a very long driveway, it's in the country, and it was a very long walk for this woman"
Bea says after the fact, she showed her Dad a BayToday story published days before that had a picture of a woman in Huntsville.
"He said yes, that's exactly the woman. That's the same woman."
A neighbour identified the vehicle as a black crew cab pickup truck.
The woman approached the house and Cory opened his front door. She was wearing a COVID mask...not unusual these days. There was no conversation, the woman stood outside and identified herself as the courier, and Cory passed the envelope of cash over, not thinking to ask for a receipt.
The thief simply turned around and walked away.
"My Dad is gonna be 88 this April. He's, you know, a bleeding heart, he wants to help his grandson out. It was over and done with very quickly."
It didn't end there!
The supposed grandson, called "Grandpa" after he "got out of jail," and thanked him for sending the money. He then said "Please don't tell Mom. Please don't tell. I just need to go home. I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed, and it's been a long day."
Then Friday morning the scammers called Cory again.
"My feeling is they were going to try and milk him for more money, cause it was too easy the first time," thinks Bea.
Cory now kicks himself for not playing along, calling the cops and having them wait while the scammers came back. The voice this time said, "Hey, Grandpa, it's Larry and he goes, 'Larry who?' and as soon as he said that, they hung up."
But once again it was his grandson's voice.
"It sounded a lot like Larry," said Bea. "That's the problem, Dad said. He said it sounded like Larry. Even the way he talked to him. And this is what boggles my mind a little bit, is like, how did these people know about his grandson being in Ottawa, like the Ottawa police called them? You know what I mean?"
Police canvassed the area looking for security camera footage but Bea hasn't heard back.
"This is happening everywhere and you know it would be nice if we could catch up with them because it's disgusting what they're doing.
"He feels absolutely violated. He thinks he's doing the right thing. He's trying to help his grandson. They're tugging at heartstrings, and these victims, obviously, there's more than a few of them that would want to help their grandchildren out, and it's just wrong. That's why it was easy for him to get caught because it's in his heart. It's his grandson, and he would do anything for him."
You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, but the family has made some changes.
"We got call display on his phone now so that he can see who's calling. If he doesn't recognize the number, he's not supposed to pick it up. I don't know if that will happen."
Cory is embarrassed but retains his sense of humour. "The joke is now, at least he's able to laugh about it. But he's like, if any of you kids call me and say you need to be bailed out of jail, or any of the other grandkids, tell them they're out of luck. He's just bailed the last kid out of jail.
"He's a proud man, and he can't believe he fell for it."