Grande Prairie RCMP has seen an increase in scams targeting grandparents. The victims have reported they’ve received phone calls about their grandchild being arrested and needing bail money. The victims were instructed to send between $8,000 to $12,000 by Purolator.
RCMP suggest to avoid being a victim of this scam never answering questions like, ‘Do you know who this is?’, always answering “no” and having them tell you who it is. Another suggestion is to ask the caller personal questions only the grandchild would be able to know and answer.
The RCMP is also advising to never send money or provide a credit card number over the phone or the internet unless you know for certain to whom you are talking. Officials also are advising residents to be wary of anyone asking for money to be sent via Purolator, as police will never ask for bail money this way.
So far local RCMP has at least three reported cases of this scam.