A North Bay man is speaking out after his elderly mother was almost defrauded of thousands of dollars amid police warnings that a well-known ‘grandparent/emergency scam’ is circulating.
Mark Lyons said he was disturbed after receiving a call from Scotiabank last Thursday that his 95-year-old mother tried to withdraw $5,950 to bail him out of jail for drug charges.
The fraudster posing as Lyons told her he had been caught with drugs.
“They are professionals. They are con men,” Lyons told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an interview.
“They really work that heartstring of there’s something really wrong.”
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Lyons’ mother received a call from a man pretending to be her son on the line, whispering that he had been busted by police for cocaine possession.
Another man then came on the phone call claiming to be a police officer, telling her he would need money to bail her son out.
The fake cop also told her that they arranged a taxicab to pick her up at her house and take her to the bank to withdraw the cash.
Lyons’ distraught mother was driven to Scotiabank in Northgate Shopping Centre on Fisher Street, where she requested the emergency withdrawal.
The bank teller could tell the woman was upset and immediately recognized the scam, so called Lyons.
“She was so upset that something might have happened,” Lyons said.
“Which is a grandparent’s and parent’s thing where you care about your kids, right?”
The scammers called back inquiring about where the money was, but Lyon’s mom told them she now knew it was a scam.
That is when the call ended.
North Bay police are asking the public to be on high alert after at least three local seniors were scammed out of thousands of dollars within the last few days.
Officers are trying to track down a suspect in the incidents.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is now issuing a few tips for people to be aware.
“End the call and make the outgoing call to the phone number you have in your contact list. Or if they’re claiming to be law enforcement, call your local police directly,” said Jeff Horncastle, acting client and communications outreach officer with the anti-fraud centre.
“There’s so much technology out there now where fraudsters can spoof phone numbers.”
Other tips include:
- Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately act and request money for a family member in distress
- Listen to that inner voice that is screaming at you “This doesn’t sound right”
- It is important to know the Canadian criminal justice system does not allow for someone to be bailed out of jail with cash or cryptocurrency
- Be careful what you post online, scammers can get details that you shared on social media platforms and dating sites to target you or get names and details about your loved ones
- Don’t trust caller ID names and numbers
- Scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and can make it appear as a trusted phone number, also known as spoofing
The ‘Grandparent Scam’ is rampant right across Canada.
The anti-fraud centre recalled an arrest made last year in connection with the scam, but it continues to receive reports about this particular kind of scheme.
Lyons said he is speaking out to warn other people, especially seniors, how quickly fraud can occur and how deceptive scammers can be.
He’s thankful the bank teller recognized the scam and acted quickly.
“One police officer reached out to me to say ‘Hey, we’re on this,‘” Lyons said.
“That’s what you want is that they’re going to catch these guys.”
If you feel you’ve become a scam victim, it’s important to notify local police. Even if you were targeted but but did not fall victim, you can still report it on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
