In the space of a week, at least five Manitoba seniors have lost money by falling victim to scams targeting seniors, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Friday.
RCMP say they received a report from a resident of Portage la Prairie and another from a person in MacGregor, about 35 kilometers west of Portage la Prairie. Both claim they had been contacted by an unknown person who claimed to be an attorney.
In both cases, the caller gave the names of the victims’ grandchildren, saying they were in jail and needed money to post bail. Both victims provided the money.
In one case, a fraudster then went to the senior’s home in Portage la Prairie to collect the money, and in the other case, the MacGregor senior met the caller at another location, specified the RCMP.
On Tuesday, police received two reports of similar scams in Minnedosa and Kleefeld, two communities located 100 kilometers from Portage la Prairie.
In both cases, the victims gave the caller a large amount of money, police said.
Separately, on October 24, East St. Paul RCMP, northeast of Winnipeg, reported that a senior citizen had also been the target of a similar scam. The victim was taken to a bank by a fraudster who claimed her grandson was in trouble.
The elderly person withdrew a large amount of money, according to police, and gave it to the scammer.
Authorities are unable to confirm whether all of these incidents are linked.
Vigilance
Portage la Prairie RCMP spokesperson Larry Neufeld says grandparent scammers typically use information from social media and other sites to deceive their victims.
RCMP are continuing their investigation and are warning Manitobans against giving money to an unknown person. She encourages anyone who thinks they may have been the target of a scam to report it to the police immediately.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center also urges people to remain vigilant when faced with phone calls asking them to give money to a family member in distress. The organization suggests the public hang up and contact that family member directly to determine if this is a scam.
RCMP are asking anyone with information on the latest events to contact their local detachment. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by visitingwww.manitobacrimestoppers.com (New window).
Victims of cybercrime or fraud can also contact theCanadian Anti-Fraud Center (New window) au 1-888-495-8501.
