The OPP are looking to educate the public as grandparent scam successes increase across the country.
The OPP, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) came together on a podcast to talk about what these scams are and how they happen.
In Canada, between January 1 and June 30, 2023, the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre reported $9.2 million in losses associated with emergency grandparent scams. It's projecting that number will surpass last year's final losses of $9.4 million as we finish the year.
"Ontario victims represented losing $4.3 million," said Detective Constable John Armit of the OPP. "What's really interesting about the stats is only an estimated five to 10 per cent of victims actually report their scams to the Canadian Fraud Centre or law enforcement."
From a banking perspective, the scams continue to evolve.
"Often the senior will receive a phone call to their landline from someone who starts the conversation with, 'Grandma, do you know who this is?'," said Adrian White, director of financial crimes, CBA. "The caller will then ask for money, pretending to be in some kind of emergency like a car accident, they've been arrested in another city or even another country."
White added sometimes, they will have another person nearby to pretend to be a police officer, making the call sound more legitimate.
"We've seen in the last two years, a massive increase in these emergency grandparent scams," said Armit.
OPP remind everyone not to act without verifying the person on the phone. You can do this by running the situation by a trusted friend or family member, especially if you were told not to by the caller, and hanging up, calling the person claiming to be on the phone directly.
Scammers will often ask the money be sent through a money transfer service where it can be picked up anywhere in the world. Sometimes, couriers are sent to the home to collect the sum. The OPP remind to stay alert and stay vigilant.
More information on grandparent scams can be found here.
