Toronto resident charged in telephone ‘grandparent’ scam in Kingston, Ont., police say
Police in Kingston, Ont. are issuing a warning about an on-going telephone scam known as the ‘grandparent’ scam, following the arrest of a 27-year-old Toronto resident.
The individual is charged with one count of attempted fraud over $5,000 in connection to an investigation into a telephone scam, according to Kingston police.
No other information about the investigation was released.
“Police have received an increase in reports regarding this scam,” police said in a media release Saturday afternoon. “This type of scam generally targets senior citizens by contacting them via telephone and informing them a member of their family, often a child or grandchild, has been arrested, often following a supposed car accident.”
Police say the scam will see the initial caller pretending to be a grandchild, and claim they have a cold or COVID as a way to explain the change in the sound of their voice. At some point, the victim will be passed on to another person purporting to be the grandchild’s lawyer, and that person will say they need cash to be sent to get the grandchild released on bail.
Kingston police say in recent occurrences, the ‘lawyer’ claims that they will send a ‘bailiff’ to pick up the money once the victim has withdrawn the cash from the bank.
“A legitimate courier company is then contacted by the suspect and hired to pick up a parcel from the victim, who has been instructed to place the cash in a shoe box,” police said.
“The courier then unknowingly facilitates the scam by transporting the money to a different location, where it is retrieved by someone involved in the scam.”
Police say cash is never requested for bail, and you should never send money by courier.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.