Fraudsters continue to target emotions

On Wednesday the 27th of November 2019, a 62 year old West Grey woman contacted police to report that she had been scammed out of $6000. The woman tells police that she had received a telephone call earlier in the day from who she thought was her daughter claiming that she had been in a car accident and that she needed the money to get bail.

A man who identified himself as Raymond PORTER then took over the phone and claimed to be her daughter’s lawyer. The man frightened the mother by telling her that a child had died as a result of the accident and convinced her to send the bail money to a bank account. After sending the money, the woman began to feel that something was not right and decided to try and contact her daughter. That is when she realized she had fallen victim to a scam.

Grandparent scams (also called grandchild scams) are common scams that target seniors. These scams usually involve a phone call from someone who pretends to be your grandchild. If you get a call like this, be prepared: the scammer may already know your grandchild’s name and what your grandchild calls you (for example, a nickname like Nona or Grampy).

Acting as your grandchild, the scammer claims to be in trouble and asks for your help. The scammer may try to convince you that your grandchild was in a car accident or has been arrested. You may be asked to wire money right away, without telling anyone.

What To Do:

If you receive a call like this, DON’T wire the money or give the caller any further information. Hang up and call your grandchild, or another family member, to find out what’s really going on. Then report the scam to: