The Pictou County District Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued a cautionary message to residents of Nova Scotia regarding fraudulent “grandparent” or “emergency” scams. This alert follows an unfortunate incident where an elderly couple from the region was deceived into losing $22,500 within a span of three days.
According to police reports, the elderly couple found themselves embroiled in this elaborate scam after receiving a distressing phone call on September 26. The caller purported to be their grandson, desperately seeking financial assistance due to a purported car accident in which a pregnant woman had been injured. Sgt. Andrew Joyce, providing official information, revealed that the elderly couple fell victim to this fabricated narrative. They were informed that a “courier” or “bondsman” would soon arrive to collect $7,500 from their residence.
The alleged suspect in this case was described as a male dressed in business casual attire. Sgt. Joyce emphasized the calculated nature of the scam, stating, “A few days went by, and they contacted the victims again seeking for more money and were able to get a further $15,000. They called again looking for more money over the weekend, and that’s when the victim realized that he was being victimized.”
Grandparent Scams on the Rise
The RCMP has been inundated with reports of similar grandparent scams over the past year, initially cropping up in the Halifax area before spreading to rural communities in the province. Sgt. Joyce explained, “In this case here, like for them to get their funds back, we would have to actually catch these persons in the act and catch them with the money. They’re world class and very good at what they do.”
