Camrose Police Service would like to warn residents of the Grandparent/Parent Scam that has been recently circulating.
Police have received several reports from residents who have received a telephone call from someone using the grandchild or other family member scam to scam them out of their hard earned money.
The scammer will contact the victim by telephone (often a landline and often in the evening) posing as a lawyer or police officer, grandchild or other family member, indicating that they (grandchild or family member) are in some kind of trouble, in jail and need cash for bail.
In some instances the scammer will allow the victim to speak with the alleged loved one or actually impersonate the loved one by using a device to change their voice to replicate that of a loved one’s voice. They may even ask if the victim knows who is calling, prompting the victim to divulge the name of a loved one, then use that name to complete the scam.
The scammer indicates that it is urgent, pressuring the victim into providing payment quickly by providing the victim with directions on how to pay, which may include a requested email money transfer or a pickup of the cash payment by a person the scammer indicates is a bail bondsman.
This is a scam.
Police, lawyers and court officials will never request an electronic money transfer or send someone to a place of residence for cash payment.
Hang up from the phone call and contact Camrose Police at 780-672-4444 (complaints line).
For more information and for tips on how to protect yourself from being scammed visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/protect-protegez-eng.htm.
