A common form of telephone scam targeting seniors is rearing its ugly head in Manitoba once again, and Manitoba RCMP are warning people to be on the lookout for suspicious phone calls.
In a release, RCMP said the scams are occurring across the province, but they find it especially concerning that northern Manitoba, a region that had seen relatively few instances of this, was seeing an increase. In recent months, scammers claiming to either be relatives or lawyers have targeted seniors in the Flin Flon area and asked for a large sum of money to be sent to an address outside the province.
According to police, two of the targeted seniors sent thousands of dollars to the scammer through the mail. A third victim’s money was intercepted before it reached the scammer and returned to them.
“It’s unfortunate that we have encountered more incidents where senior citizens have been the victim of these types of frauds,” said Staff Sergeant Kevin Cavanagh of the Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services Cyber and Financial Crime Unit. “Fraudsters are constantly adapting these scams, seeking new ways to generate a sense of urgency and entice victims to help a family member in need. We don’t want to single out one part of the province, but seeing these calls take place in the northern part of the province is relatively new. The RCMP wants to remind the public that they should immediately report these crimes to the detachment in their area and to never send money.”
Police are reminding people to be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately take action and request bail money for a family member in distress. If you get a phone call from a suspicious number claiming to be someone you know, hang up and contact that person on the number you have for them. If a caller claims to be with law enforcement, hang up and contact your local police service directly.
