Police are calling attention to the grandparents scam for the fourth time this year after a North Vancouver senior fell victim to the ruse.
The North Vancouver woman received a call Sept. 24 from a male claiming to be her grandson, who allegedly claimed to be in a tight spot and asked she send three payments of $900 to an Ottawa location via Western Union.
The woman sent the first payment before discovering it was a scam.
These grandparent scams are becoming all too popular in spite of all the warnings and public service announcements, said Cpl. Richard De Jong, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.
This is the fourth advisory issued by North Shore police forces in the past 12 months. In West Vancouver, an astute neighbour prevented a senior from sending money to such a scam in May, while a police officer intervened in April after a senior told him she was going to send $4,000 to her grandson.
Police advise not to wire money to someone who calls unexpectedly, even claiming to be a family member, and to always call another relative to confirm the story and ask the caller questions only a family member would know the answer to.
As well, scammers sometimes use information posted online, such as travel plans, to dupe relatives, according to the release.
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