Man charged after Manitoba woman loses thousands to grandparent scam
The Manitoba RCMP has made an arrest after a woman lost thousands of dollars from falling victim to a grandparent scam.
The investigation began on Feb. 28 when a 79-year-old woman went to the Stonewall RCMP detachment to report a fraud.
She told police she had received a call a few days earlier from someone claiming to be her grandson. He told her he was arrested after a car crash and needed money for bail.
Police said the woman was told to take out $8,000 in cash from the bank and that the money would be picked up from her home. The victim then received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson’s lawyer who told her the money would be picked up by courier and advised her not to tell anyone. A man then came by her home and picked up the money.
The next day, the women received more phone calls from the same suspect, saying she needed to provide another $8,000 to pay fines and exonerate her grandson. The same pick-up process took place.
A few days later she received more calls asking for money, so she went to the bank where she was told about the scam.
A suspect was scheduled to come by her home later that day. RCMP intercepted this man, who was then arrested. Police note he was also wanted out of Alberta on a warrant for fraud.
A 32-year-old man has been charged with fraud over $5,000. He was taken into custody.
RCMP are warning the public as it has seen an increase in grandparent scams. Since Jan. 1, there have been 13 similar situations in southern Manitoba, resulting in the loss of about $70,000.
RCMP believe there may be more victims of this scam and ask the public to report any similar frauds.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
B.C.'s top doctor ends four-year COVID-19 public health emergency
After four years of mask mandates, gathering restrictions, vaccinations and hospitalizations, British Columbia’s provincial health officer has ended the province's public-health emergency for COVID-19.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.