You receive an urgent phone call from someone claiming to be a family member such as a grandchild or someone you know needing money. Or worse yet, someone claiming they have your family member or person you know and demand you pay a ransom to have them released!
Emergency scams prey on your fear of a loved one being hurt or in trouble. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes these scams as common, where fraudsters will:
- Claim to be law enforcement officials, lawyers, kidnappers, or impersonate a grandchild or family member.
- Use urgency and threats to convince you to take out money.
- Claim that there is a “gag order” preventing you from speaking about the situation.
- Demand cash/cash transfers only.
If you agree to pay the requested amount (cash or cryptocurrency), fraudsters will arrange to pick up the funds in person or will ask you to send cash in the mail or by wire transfer.
How to protect yourself:
- If you receive a phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly using a phone number you already have – not one provided by the suspected fraudster.
- If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official, hang up and call your local police directly, using a phone number from a reputable source – not one provided by the suspected fraudster.
- Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately act and request money for a family member in distress.
- Listen to that inner voice that says “This doesn’t sound right”.
- Remember that the Canadian Criminal Justice System does not allow for someone to be bailed out of jail with cash or cryptocurrency.
- Be careful what you post online. Scammers can get details that you shared on social media platforms and dating sites to target you or get names and details about your loved ones.
- Don’t trust caller ID names and numbers. Scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and can make it appear as a trusted phone number, also known as spoofing.
Note: These types of scams can target anyone, not just seniors or “grandparents”.
If you are a victim of this scam or any other fraud attempt, please call us at 1.866.446.7001.