Manitoba RCMP say they’re investigating after a “grandparent rip-off” surfaced within the province’s north, with 4 experiences from older adults within the Flin Flon space.
In two of the circumstances, police mentioned, hundreds of {dollars} have been despatched to the scammer, whereas a 3rd was intercepted earlier than the cash may very well be misplaced.
The scams contain somebody calling older victims and claiming to be both a member of the family or a lawyer, and requesting that cash — urgently — be despatched to an deal with outdoors Manitoba to assist with “bail.” Some callers, RCMP mentioned, additionally declare to be regulation enforcement and ask victims to pay a high-quality.
“It’s unlucky that we’ve got encountered extra incidents the place senior residents have been the sufferer of a lot of these frauds,” mentioned Employees Sgt. Kevin Cavanagh of the RCMP’s cyber and monetary crime unit.
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“Fraudsters are continuously adapting these scams, searching for new methods to generate a way of urgency and entice victims to assist a member of the family in want.
“We don’t wish to single out one a part of the province, however seeing these calls happen within the northern a part of the province is comparatively new. The RCMP needs to remind the general public that they need to instantly report these crimes to the detachment of their space and to by no means ship cash.”
Police say anybody suspicious of a possible rip-off name ought to hold up and name police immediately, and that Manitobans ought to be cautious what they put up on-line, as scammers can glean info from social media posts to focus on potential victims.
Anybody with details about a rip-off can name their native police detachment or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or notify the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
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