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November 26, 2020 - 6:30 AM
Interior residents have been scammed out of thousands of dollars and the RCMP is warning residents to be wary of unknown phone callers.
On Nov. 24, the Chase RCMP Detachment was contacted by a woman who had fallen victim to what is commonly referred to as the "Emergency Scam," according to the RCMP in a press release.
She said earlier that day, her husband received a phone call from a man who was crying. The man said something along the lines of "Dad, I've been in a bad accident in Mexico, I'm injured and I'm in jail - you'll get a phone call from my lawyer next." Although her husband noticed that the voice didn't sound like their son, he assumed it was because the caller claimed that he was injured and was crying, according to the press release.
The fake lawyer called and told him $3,000 was needed to be sent as soon as possible – to have their son released immediately from jail – otherwise he would be held for a month. Their son had been in Mexico recently, but, at the time of the phone call, the couple didn’t know that their son was already home. The fake lawyer guided them through the process of sending the money by MoneyGram, which was done at the post office.
The woman realized too late that they were victims of a scam, said Sgt. Barry Kennedy, detachment commander of the Chase RCMP.
On Nov. 25, shortly after 10:30 a.m., a Revelstoke resident was targeted by a suspected scammer who posed as a close friend. The fraudster, who seemed to be panicked, claimed he was in jail and needed bail money. The suspect further added that he had been in an accident and had been drinking. He requested that the victim e-transfer $2,500 to the man’s lawyer, who supposedly practiced law in the Lower Mainland.
“The victim wired the funds electronically after they received a second call from a person who identified themselves as the friend’s legal counsel,” said Sgt. Chris Dodds, Revelstoke RCMP detachment commander, in a press release.
Shortly before 12 p.m., Revelstoke RCMP responded to yet another report of a resident targeted in an apparent emergency scam. The resident shared that he had received an anonymous call from someone posing as his grandson, who claimed he was in jail, in need of money following a drunk driving accident. The resident contacted the Revelstoke RCMP non-emergency line and a police dispatcher advised the man not to send any money as the matter was a scam. Police managed to contact the man’s grandson and ensure his well-being.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reports this year there has been 42,984 reports of fraud, 19,641 Canadian victims of fraud and $79.5 million lost to fraud.
The RCMP asks residents to visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud website to learn how to protect themselves from common scams.
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