Grandparents Scam

How the 'grandparents scam' nearly caught my mother

April 14, 2011 By Sheryl Smolkin The Toronto Star

Last week my 83-year old mother almost became a victim of the “grandparent scam.”

She picked up the phone and the caller said he was her grandson. When she asked if it was Charles, my son, the caller said yes. Mom sometimes has trouble hearing on the telephone, but she said it sounded just like him.

As we later found out, he gave her the classic story. He said he had an accident with a rental car in Montreal and was in jail. He said needed $4,000 wired via Western Union to his court-appointed lawyer to be released and provided a name. The caller asked my mother not to call either my husband or I as we would be too upset.

My son lives in Vancouver, and it is unlikely that he would have been in Montreal without our knowledge. But as a devoted grandmother and without a second thought Mom, who lives in Thornhill, got into a cab, went to the bank to withdraw cash and went directly to Western Union as directed. The clerk questioned her, but finally agreed to her request to send the funds.

When she arrived home, there was another unexpected call from the person impersonating my son asking if the money was on its way. By that time she was getting suspicious and asked the caller for my daughter's name. When he didn’t respond immediately, she realized something was wrong. Luckily, after numerous calls to Western Union she was able to get her money back. After the second call the fraudster must have realized she was on to him, and the money had not yet been claimed.

My mother was lucky and this is not a new story. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, jointly managed by the RCMP, OPP and the Competition Bureau Canada, recently called the grandparent's scam fraud of the week. In late February, Halton Region police charged seven people for scamming grandparents out of over $3 million dollars.

There have been dozens of similar stories across the country and in the U.S. going back several years. Even seniors in retirement homes are not immune. A 2009 CBC story reports residents of assisted-living facilities in Chilliwack and Surrey B.C. were bilked out of significant amounts of money.

If you or anyone you know is involved in a similar incident, file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by email, toll-free fax, toll-free telephone or online.We were told by the CAFC there was no point contacting the police as Mom got her money back and based on the information we provided, there was no way to trace the caller. But where there is is a loss, the police should also be notified.

Mom is sharp as a tack and very frugal. If she could be conned it could happen to anyone. We are grateful that she got her money back the same day, but it will take her a lot longer to get back her piece of mind.