57 Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers GRANDPARENT SCAMS / EMERGENCY SCAMS A scammer contacts an elderly person and pretends to be a grandchild or a family member in some kind of trouble and in need of immediate financial assistance. In this typical scenario the scammer will tell the victim that they have been arrested and requires bail money, have been in a car accident, need money to cover hospital costs or are having trouble returning from a foreign country. For verification, the elderly person is given a phone number to call, which will be answered by someone pretending to be a lawyer or a police officer. The scammer will ask questions during the call, getting the victim to volunteer personal information. The "grandchild/family member" will insist that the victim not contact their parents or relatives as they don't want to get into more trouble. The victim is then asked to use a money service business to send several thousands of dollars for bail. Prevention tips • Police, judges or legal entities will never request that money be sent through money service businesses. • Don't give out personal information to the caller. • Confirm with other relatives the whereabouts of the family member or friend in question before even considering sending money. • Never send money through money wire services to persons you don't know personally. Verify the person's identity before you take any steps to help. The money can be picked up anywhere in the world once it is given a transaction number. ROMANCE SCAMS There is a growing number of seniors who are turning to the internet to find love. Unfortunately, scammers know this and use every type of dating or social networking site to seek out potential victims. The scammer will gain the trust of the victim through displays of affection and will communicate through the phone and email for months if needed to build that trust. The scammer will claim to be located in a foreign country but will want to meet up with the victim in person. The scammers will always come up with an excuse to prevent face-toface interactions. It is at this time that the scammer will advise that they can't afford to travel and will ask for money to cover travel costs. Other variations include the scammer claiming that there is an emergency with a sick relative and will ask for money to cover medical expenses. Prevention tips • Be wary of someone who claims to be from Canada or the U.S. working abroad. • Don't give out any personal information in an email or when you are chatting online with a stranger. • Be careful communicating with someone who claims to fall in love with you quickly. • Don't accept any funds or send the person any money for any reasons. Scammers will use all kind of tactics to get to your money, bank accounts or credit cards. • Beware of fake dating sites. Scammers will host and create fake accounts to lure potential victims. continued FRAUD AND SCAMS Image by www.freepik.com
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