The Saskatoon Police Service Economic Crime Section is urgently alerting the public to a series of fraudulent activities occurring in Saskatoon.
In recent days, police have received reports of fraudsters actively targeting victims in Saskatoon through the Family/Grandparent Emergency Scam. In some reports of victimization, fraudsters attended to the victim’s residence and defrauded them of several thousand dollars. In others, victims were directed to deposit large sums of money into a Bitcoin ATM for receipt by the fraudsters.
To date, investigation has found that fraudsters are contacting the victims by telephone claiming to be a grandchild in an emergency as a result of a traffic collision or drug possession. Payment is then demanded in cash or cryptocurrency for bail and legal fees.
Remember! Any legitimate authority would never demand payment as cash or cryptocurrency over the phone.
The fraudsters are instructing the victims to lie to their financial institution to withdraw funds. They may also falsely state that a non-dissemination order (gag order) is in place preventing discussing the matter with anyone else.
Don’t panic! Always call family, friends, and/or the authority in question directly to verify the information and fact check the call.
Police are encouraging families and friend groups that consist of older and/or vulnerable adults to openly discuss the Family/Grandparent Emergency Scam to prevent continued victimization in the community. 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 by calling 306-975-8300; in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Background:
The Family/Grandparent Emergency Scam involves a potential victim, often an older and/or vulnerable 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 requests and demands. Always use extreme caution, especially when being asked to send any form of currency.