Local police are painting a picture of how prevalent the grandparent scam has become in Chatham-Kent over the past few months.
The typical grandparent scam phone call consists of a fraudster posing as a distraught grandchild, police officer or lawyer. The individual will present a phony emergency to the victim where money is required to help solve the issue.
According to Chatham-Kent Police Public Information Officer Lynette Hodder, all, if not most of the police agencies in Southwestern Ontario have seen an increase in fraud complaints recently, particularly the grandparent scam.
"Some stories we've heard here in Chatham-Kent involve a collision with a pregnant woman, and the grandchild is held for bail, and bail money is required. A collision with a friend and drugs were found in the car, and an impaired driving charge where the grandchild has, again, been held for bail as well as other offences like using a cellphone," Hodder explained.
In Chatham-Kent, there have been ten grandparent scam complaints over the past week and a half alone, and Hodder said, in most cases, money is lost. So far, the complaints that the Chatham-Kent Police Service is investigating exceed $50,000.
"This scam is not new by any means. I recall, years ago, taking calls of similar types of scams," she said. "What they've done now is they've upped their game. Instead of having the victim wire money, they are actually calling the [victim], they're having a currier or someone passing as a police officer, or they like to use the word bailiff and attend the home to pick up the money."
Hodder said no police agency or the Ontario Court of Justice will ever go to a home to get money for bail. She added that the idea that when someone is arrested they require bail money to be released, is also not common in the Canadian Justice System.
"This is also something we’ve all seen through TV and movies," said Hodder. "It's familiar, so therefore we trust it to be true."
Hodder said she can't comment on how exactly the scammers are choosing their victims or whether or not it's done at random. She has urged anyone who gets a suspicious phone call to stop and think, put any decisions on hold, always double-check with a trusted family member, or hang up the phone.
According to Hodder, the fraudsters purposely use emotionally charged dialogue and pressure tactics, which is why it can be so easy for some people to fall victims to the scam and not take the proper steps.
"These fraudsters like to create that panic and emergency type situations for that exact reason, to stop people from thinking clearly and just acting...They use panic and come up with emergency and legal-type stories to create that panic and urgency within the person they are speaking with," she explained. "So these victims hear things such as 'bailiff' and 'gag-order', and they receive threats like 'things will get worse if you don't send us the money immediately.' So it keeps that panic and keeps the victim from thinking clearly."
Another tactic the scammers often use when pretending to be the victim's grandchild is telling them that their voice sounds different because they are sick. In the case of the fraudster posing as a lawyer or officer, they tell the victim that the grandchild cannot come to the phone for some reason. According to Hodder, to keep the victim from telling others, they claim a “gag order” is in place, and they can not tell anyone about the situation. If the bank should ask questions, the fraudster provides excuses for the victim, such as they are buying a used car with cash or need money for home renovations.
Because the fraudsters often use burner phones not registered to a particular individual, Hodder said it is difficult to trace the calls and the source of the scams. According to Hodder, collaboration is occurring with other police agencies in the region about the scam incidents they've dealt with, and to discuss the evidence that's been collected.
If you live in Chatham-Kent and believe you or someone you know has been a victim of the grandparent scam, you should call 519-352-1234.
