A senior from Portage la Prairie narrowly escaped a major financial scam by putting on her detective hat. The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that she received a call on her landline from a private number.
Rash of reports in Portage la Prairie
Several calls came in Wednesday (October 30) about the exact same scam. Take the advice of this fortunate and fast-thinking senior who realized what was happening.
The caller told her he had been sick with a bad cold and had gone out to pick up a COVID test with a friend, only to be pulled over by police. He claimed an officer searched the trunk and found a large amount of marijuana. The caller said he was being held at the police station.
"He said, ‘The police officer has agreed to talk to you,’" she recalled.
An individual identifying himself as Const. Michael Riley then informed her of a “gag order” on the case and said her relative was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"If we can post bail, he’ll be able to get out within two hours. He said, ‘We already did a drug test on him, and it came back negative,’" she said. "I was getting quite worried because it’s a close family member. Plus, we’d just had a big tragedy in the family, so I was already in a bit of a funk."
However, she became suspicious. "I said, ‘Before anything happens, I’m going to go down to the police station to make sure there’s a Const. Michael Riley in the detachment here.’ He responded, ‘That’s going to be a problem because I’m assigned to a different detachment,’" she said.
Knowing there was no RCMP detachment in the location he mentioned, she felt certain it was a scam and hung up. She then called her relative, who was supposed to be in jail, and confirmed he was actually at a local dentist’s office.
Sgt. Darcy Turko of the Central Plains RCMP in Portage la Prairie said the caller seemed to have personal information that made the story believable. "The person they were impersonating had his Facebook account hacked about three or four months ago, and he’s had trouble getting it sorted out," she said.
Looking back, the senior finds it alarming just how convincing the scam was. "The caller even sounded like him with a bad cold. He said he wanted a COVID test, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, he must really be sick,’" she said. "It’s scary how believable it all was."
She urges others to remain cautious if they receive a similar call. "Tell them you’re going to call the local RCMP to confirm the officer’s identity," she advised. The amount of money requested was $7,000.
"When I called back and told the 'officer' I was going to check in person, that’s when he said, ‘Oh, I’m not with Portage,’ which I knew was false. That’s when I was sure it was a scam," she said. "It’s sad because these scams are everywhere, and they always seem to target people my age."
RCMP Tips
Central Plains RCMP detachment Darcy Turko explains it seems to be happening all over the the country.
It's called the Grandparent Scam. It's basically someone claiming to be a family member who needs bail money.
"They'll send someone actually to your house to pick up the money. And it does happen. Once it happens, they'll keep doing it, and basically, until it's either reported or the person catches on that is a scam."
Turko says amounts usually needed to pay for "bail" are about $3000 or $4,000 to get your granddaughter, grandson, or close relative out of jail.
"It's for bail money, and then someone will literally come pick it up from you. I have a list here that just basically says:
- "If you feel it's a suspicious call, hang up.
- "Call our local office, which is a 204-857-4445.
- "We will confirm that it is a scam."
At no time will an RCMP member ever ask you for money for bail
"At no time will an RCMP member ever ask you for money for bail. And again, if it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. Hang up and call our office. It's just that inner voice that keeps saying it doesn't sound right. It's not. If you feel like you've been a victim, call the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre. They do take these reports and they look into it and investigate it."
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre 1-888-495-8501