By Jeff Henson

RCMP

“Grandparent” scam returning across province during holiday season

Dec 11, 2022 | 7:00 AM

RCMP across Alberta, along with both the Edmonton and Calgary Police Services, are warning the public about an emergency scam making its way across the province.

Often referred to as the “Grandparent” or “Grandchild” scam, it involves the victim receiving a call from someone often claiming to be a police officer, judge, or a fellow family member saying a loved one is in trouble with law enforcement or the courts and a payment is needed to help them.

The scammer usually asks for cash, gift cards, bitcoin, or e-transfers as the form of payment, and will often imply either a sense of urgency for the payment to avoid something worse happening to their loved one or that nobody can know about it because the situation is either embarrassing or that the courts have placed a publication ban on it.

This year alone, police say they have received over 150 reports of this type of fraud with total losses pegged at around $750,000.

Police remind you to never send cash to anyone that you do not know and to never give out personal information over the phone or online, adding police or the courts will never ask for personal information over the phone.

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They add if someone claims to be an officer or a judge, you should contact that detachment or courthouse directly to confirm the situation. Bail is only paid in person at a courthouse or a correctional centre.

If you think that you have been a victim of this type of fraud, or if you have received a call similar to this, you are asked to contact your local police, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.