Provincial police and the Mounties are teaming up to raise awareness about an old scam targeting seniors that’s made a costly comeback recently in Southwestern Ontario.
A five-day awareness campaign kicks off next week to draw attention to so-called emergency scams that bilked Canadians out of a reported $9.2 million last year – the bulk of the losses in Ontario – up from $2.4 million the previous year, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
The total tally of money lost to these scams is likely much higher because only five to 10 per cent of victims report their losses to police or the anti-fraud centre, the OPP said.
Emergency scams typically target seniors and the fraudsters use a sense of urgency to extort money from victims. In the most popular deception, the grandparent scam, fraudsters cold call seniors and claim to be a family member, police officer or lawyer, telling seniors their loved ones are in legal trouble or injured and money must be sent immediately to avoid further trouble.
The scammers claim a court-imposed gag order prevents the senior from disclosing the matter to anyone and instruct them to withdraw cash from the bank. A courier is sent to pick up the money. Sometimes seniors are told to send cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin.
“Fraudsters prey on our emotions and our caring nature. By falsely claiming to be a loved one in trouble, scammers exploit our fears and defraud our seniors out of thousands of dollars every day across this province,” OPP Det. Supt. Dominic Chong, the head of the financial crimes branch, said in a statement.
“I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to educate themselves and the seniors in their family about grandparent scams. The best protection against this type of fraud is awareness and education.”
Multiple police forces across Southwestern Ontario, including Strathroy-Caradoc, Aylmer and Woodstock, say they’ve seen a recent rise in reports of the fraud, prompting warnings to the public to be vigilant. Earlier this week, police in Strathroy released descriptions of two suspects in grandparent scam investigations.
Scamming is a lucrative business in Canada, where frauds reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center totaled $530 million last year, up from $380 million the previous year.
“Fraudsters can be very convincing, whether using advanced techniques with new technology or going back to basics with just a script and a phone,” the centre’s director, Chris Lynam, said in a statement.
“While law enforcement and partners continue to work together to investigate and stop these criminals, we ask for the public’s help in connecting with the seniors in their lives, warning them about these scams and encouraging them to report any incidents. This one conversation could be life changing.”
The public awareness campaign, a joint initiative between the OPP, RCMP and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, runs from Monday until next Friday.