Grandparent Scam luckily stymied

An elderly woman had fallen victim to the grandparent scam when someone called her personating her grandsons telling her he was in trouble and needed money. On July 3^rd the woman was told to wire money through Federal Express to an address in Quebec which she did. The woman’s daughter found out she did this and was able to fortunately stop the transaction through Federal Express.  Port Hope Police warn residents to be aware of this scam also called the Emergency Scam. The scam involves someone trying to shock the targeted person into acting quickly and to send money under the guise of helping a loved one. The Canadian Bankers Association offer the following tips

 • Never offer information to the caller. If they prompt you with a question like, “Do you know who this is?” simply say no and have them tell you.

• press your caller for details. If the person on the other end of the phone is explaining his/her story, ask them questions about their specific location or have them repeat their story. A criminal will have a hard time recalling details or coming up with them on the spot

• Ask the caller a few personal questions that a real grandchild could answer but an imposter could not

• After you hang up, verify the story by calling the parents or other relatives of the “grandchild”

• Never wire money to someone under uncertain conditions. It is nearly impossible to recover or trace money that has been wired

• Never provide your credit card number over the telephone or Internet unless you are sure about who you’re giving it to

In this case the woman was lucky her daughter intervened quickly.

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