Warnings about grandparent scams issued by Waterloo regional and Guelph police

Police services in Waterloo region and Guelph areasking the community and family membersto speak with seniors about grandparent scams, followingrecent reports thatfraudsters are targetingolder adults.

Between February and July, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) received 30 reports of seniors losingmore than$185,000 in the scams.

In those cases,police said, the individuals targeted are50 and87 years old.

"The suspects claimed to be RCMP officers on the phone and sent a delivery driver to collect the money," WRPSsaid in a media release.

Most recently, policearrested and charged a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old from Guelph afterofficers responded to a report of a grandparent scam in progress in Cambridge on Aug.3. Policereceived 14 reports thatsame day.

Guelph Police Service (GPS)hasalso seen arise ingrandparent scams and issued a similar warning to the community.

What is a grandparent scam?

A grandparent scam can also be knownas an emergency scam, according to police.

Afraudster typically contacts an older adultclaiming to be agrandchild orfriend of a grandchildwho is incrisis either in an accident or in jail and needs money.

Police said seniors can sometimes get a second call from someone posing as a police officer or lawyer, who tellsthem not to talk about the matter with anyone. The fraudster then directs the victim to go totheir bank to getthe funds.

The fraudsterscanalso pose as a courier to pick up the fundsor direct the intended victimto send the money through alegitimate courier to an address usually in another city or province.

Guelph police Det.Brooke Drake said these scams are complex, and though police have made some arrests, thecases are often challenging to investigate.

She said police have been able to track some of the funds sent by mail to vacant properties or houses outside the province.

"It seems to be a pretty elaborate scam and it's through multiple jurisdictions all across Canada right now," she told CBC News.

"The people who are defrauding these victims, this is their full-time job. They're very good at what they do."

Drake said family members should speak with older or vulnerable adults about thescams to raise awareness about them.

Senior who arecontacted about a grandchild or family member in what appears to be a scamshould hang up and confirm the story with those people mentioned by the scammer, Drake said.