Strathroy-Caradoc Police have seen a spike in the Grandparents Scam targeting seniors. Police have recently received several reports of this fraud where suspects contact victims and indicate they are a grandson/granddaughter or family member. They claim that their family member has been arrested and are in need of money for bail immediately to be released from custody. Information is that the suspects have been using nicknames or personal information such as addresses to try and convince the victims this is not a scam.
The scammer will pretend to be a police officer, judge or lawyer and direct the victim to withdraw money. In recent incidents the suspects have been attending the victim’s homes to pick up the cash with a face to face meeting however, some will have the victims transfer the funds electronically or leave the money in their mailbox. SCPS are warning the public that police and the justice system will not ever collect money this way.
If suspects receive money from the victims after the first attempt they are often reaching out for more money and making more attempts to defraud the victims again. The police have received descriptions of suspects from incidents currently still under investigation.
The descriptions are as follows;
Suspect 1- Male, black, believed to be in his 30’s, taller statue, thin build, wearing all black.
Suspect 2- Male, White, light complexion, 5’3-5’4, thin build in his 50’s, with a white beard. He was last seen wearing a camo hoodie and jogging pants.
Please contact police if you have any information about these suspects involved. Please contact your senior relatives and educate them on this occurring so they can protect themselves.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service at 519-245-1250 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
written by: C. Soares