RCMP share tips to avoid falling victim to grandparent scam

Manitoba RCMP is warning people to be aware and ask questions as several schemes are making their way through the community, impacting Manitoba’s most vulnerable.

Last week, a Winnipeg senior was nearly scammed out of $5,000 by a caller pretending to be a relative. A similar scam in Brandon cost a senior nearly $9,000.

The scheme, dubbed “the grandparent scam”, involves a caller who targets an older person and claims to be a relative in trouble, They then ask for money to help them out of the jam.

“The grandparent scam is nothing new, but it has kind of resurfaced recently in our southeast district,” said Sgt. Paul Manaigre with Manitoba RCMP, “Just as the beginning of the year alone, we've had approximately 11 complaints involving a loss of over $51,000 with seven people.”

Manaigre said the scammers do their homework, often finding out names of family members to make their con sound legitimate.

He said people on the other end of the line should a moment and think about what they’re hearing.

“Reach out to family members to see if things are okay,” Manaigre said. “And then reach out to police to report it to us, because it’s a fraudulent activity we need to be aware of.”

Watch the full interview in the space above, which includes more tips people can use to identify a scam, and how to avoid falling for phishing online.

-With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.