A Nanaimo grandmother has lost $14,000 to a scammer pretending to be her grandson. Police said it's a common scammers trick (NeedPix)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

SCAMMERS STRIKE

Notorious ‘grandson scam’ swindles Nanaimo grandmother out of $14,000

Sep 16, 2020 | 9:42 AM

NANAIMO — A local grandmother was the victim of a well-known and notorious phone scam over the course of nine days in early September.

The woman transferred a total of $14,000 in two payments to someone on the phone claiming to be her grandson. The person on the phone said they needed money for bail and legal fees.

Two other men on the phone, playing the role of police and a lawyer, convinced the woman her grandson was in a car accident and was being detained by police in Quebec.

“She feels bad, she wants to act quickly and the grandson is telling her not to tell his mother and she billed out $14,000,” Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW.

She transferred the money via Purolator to an address in Montreal but when the calls continued after the second payment she became suspicious.

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O’Brien said the woman contacted the bar association in Quebec to see if the lawyer she’d spoken with was registered. When she was told he wasn’t, the woman notified her family who called Nanaimo police.

Nanaimo RCMP have connected with officers in Montreal, where the calls originated, with an investigation currently underway.

“The fact with Purolator, it’s tracked to a residence and most likely it’s involved in criminality and there’s people actively working out of that home,” O’Brien said.

Police advise people if they’re approached by this type of scam to resist the urge to act immediately. RCMP said it’s better to end the conversation rather than take instructions from an unsolicited phone call.

“The key is you have to not react immediately, stop, check references, talk to family and friends, law enforcement…find some reason not to act,” O’Brien said.

If you remain on the phone, police said it’s important to verify a callers identity by asking personal questions only they would know the answers to.

Cash, gift cards and money transfers are common methods of payment in scams such as this and should raise immediate red flags if requested from an unexpected phone call.

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