The Saskatoon Police Service Economic Crime Section is alerting the public to the possibility of fraudulent activity occurring in Saskatoon.

Investigators with the Economic Crime Section have information to suggest that fraudsters may have returned to target victims in Saskatoon through the Family/Grandparent Emergency Scam. In the morning hours of August 1, 2023, an older adult couple received a phone call falsely informing them that their grandson had been jailed in Vancouver, British Columbia for an at-fault vehicle collision and that he required money for bail. They were instructed to withdraw $7,000 cash from a financial institution to be collected in person by a bail bondsperson. Fortunately, the couple contacted their family directly prior to proceeding with the fraudulent transaction and confirmed their grandson to be safe. They then discontinued contact with the fraudsters.

If you have received a suspicious call and suspect fraud but have not been victimized, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; if you have become the victim of fraud, contact your local police or report it to the Saskatoon Police Service online or by calling 306-975-8300.

Background:

The Family/Grandparent Emergency Scam involves a potential victim, often an older adult, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member in an emergency and requiring money for various purposes. The fraudsters may also work in tandem and connect the victim to another person claiming to be a police officer, lawyer, doctor, or representative of another profession. The payment is often requested as cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. This is a scam! Any legitimate authority would never make such requests.

If you receive a suspicious phone call, ask important questions of the caller to verify their identity but refrain from offering additional details yourself. Alternatively, hang up and call that family member directly to verify their location and well-being and/or connect with other relatives to fact check the call. If the caller is claiming to be law enforcement or a representative of another profession, hang up and call that authority directly to verify the information. Fraudsters leverage urgency and panic to coerce the victim into complying with their request. Always use extreme caution, especially when being asked to send a form of currency.