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Scammers claiming to have her granddaughter in jail came to pick up 'bail money'
A Montreal-area grandmother says she lost more than $4,000 she had carefully saved over the years to a scam that preyed on her love of family.
Lynne says it happened a few weeks ago, when she got a call from someone she thought was her granddaughter.
CBC has agreed to conceal the grandmother's identity and change her name for this report, because she fears scammers could target her again for speaking out.
"She was in distress, crying on the phone saying she had been arrested," Lynne recounted. The woman on the phone said she had strep throat, Lynne thinks, to disguise any differences in her voice.
The person on the phone, whom Lynne now believes was a scammer who used voice-altering technology, then described having been in a car with someone who was texting. The car was stopped by police, who discovered five kilos of cannabis.
Then, a second person came on the call, claiming to be an RCMP officer, confirming her granddaughter had been stopped in a car with one of her friends.
The "officer" said her granddaughter was in a holding cell and needed more than $4,000 for bail.
He went on to say a court trustee would come for the cash.
Lynne put her savings in an envelope, and walked to the man's vehicle parked outside, where she asked him for a passcode the scammer had provided over the phone — then handed over the money to him.
She thought she was adding a layer of security with the code — that's what the "officer" on the phone had indicated.
"He says 'Walk downstairs with your cellphone with the code, so I can hear what you're doing, and make sure you get the code out of this person before you hand over the money,'" said Lynne.
Not alone, and stakes have become higher
It was only when she walked back into her home and lay down on her bed that she realized it might have been an elaborate scam.
She texted her granddaughter, who confirmed her worst suspicions. None of it had been true.
"The feelings, the emotions that keep coming back up. I couldn't stop crying. I was feeling extremely vulnerable and scared," described Lynne in the aftermath.
Montreal police say all scams more than doubled in 2022 compared to the previous year.
According to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre, in 2020 for a "pitch offering emergency" scam such as someone claiming to be in jail, an accident or in need of help, there were 408 victims in the country.
It amounted to $1,473 893 dollars lost.
From January to June 2023, there were 721 victims and $9,245, 996 lost.
Lynne says the most difficult part is the regret, and some people not being understanding about how this could have happened.
"How didn't I see it? I should have still tried to call her cellphone just in case. I should have [called] my daughter," she said.
Preying on love of family
In Quebec, the Crime Victims Assistance Centre, CAVAC, is there to help people who have been defrauded, like Lynne.
Jenny Charest, the executive director of CAVAC Montreal , says many victims report feeling ashamed and isolated.
She says she tells people like Lynne: "You're guilty of loving your daughter, your granddaughter."
The scammers, Charest says, move quickly before the victim has time to think twice.
"They are very intelligent and the way they do that is very organized."
She says people's willingness to help a loved one in trouble can leave them vulnerable — and emotionally scarred when they are tricked.
" At CAVAC, we can give a lot of help, we listen and we accompany them and assist them and if they want to press charges we can explain to them and assist them with all the information," said Charest.
Canadian Bankers Association working on prevention
The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) represents 60 member banks and their employees and bank customers.
Adrian White, the director of the CBA's financial crime section, says they work with law enforcement and the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre to promote awareness.
He says some banks are working hard to protect bank customers and their money, requiring clients to fill out a specific form when it comes to a sudden large withdrawal of cash.
" The questions are designed to bring to light any potential scam that may be involved in the desire to withdraw a large sum of money on an urgent basis."
For her part, Lynne has filed a report with her local police station. She's hoping others will learn from her experience, so it doesn't happen to them. And that people who have already been caught in such a scam join their voices to hers.
"Some people feel ashamed, but you shouldn't feel ashamed. they cover bases so well and have an answer for everything," she says.
WATCH | Simple steps to take to avoid being caught in a scam:
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How to protect yourself or a loved one from fraud
- If you get a suspicious call claiming to be a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and call them directly from a phone number you already have for them.
- If a call claims to be a law enforcement official and asks you to pay bail/ fine, hang up and call your police station.
- Police or even the bank, should not be asking you for your credit card numbers, or security codes over the phone, be suspicious and ask for a badge number, employee number then call your local police station or bank.
- Be mindful of what you post on social media/ dating sites, scammers can gather information about names/ details about your loved ones there.
- Do not trust caller ID numbers. Scammers can use technology to disguise their actual number they are calling from, this is called spoofing.
Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of fraud should report it to their local police station and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
online reporting system or at 1-888-495-8501.
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