Active Grandparent scam costs locals $11,000

From the Huntsville OPP

The Huntsville Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police wants to alert Huntsville residents that there are people in the community conducting grandparent scams. Police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying suspects. 

In the two reported cases yesterday, an elderly female was defrauded of $5000 cash by a suspect posing as a bailiff who needed the money to release her grandson from jail. The second report was from an elderly female who gave $6000 to a caller posing as her grandson and called a taxi to pick her up to attend the bank to withdraw cash. 

A Photo of a suspect is attached to this release. The suspect appears to be a female with dark hair wearing dark clothing who poses as a Bailiff or law enforcement agency member.

If you receive a suspicious call, remember:

• Be suspicious of calls that require immediate action. Hang up and contact the family member directly.
• The caller either doesn’t provide a normal jail location for the area if asked or mistakes the local police service. Call the non-emergency number of the police service to verify the story or confirm the name and badge number of the officer calling.
• When at the bank, tell the truth about why you’re taking out large sums of cash as bank tellers are very familiar with scams.
• The courts won’t ask for cash to bail out someone in custody and will require people to be present in court.
• Never send cash, cryptocurrencies, or any other funds to unknown persons, unverified addresses, or bank accounts.
• Take time to verify the story by asking the caller a few personal questions or pressing your caller for details. Scammers are counting on you wanting to quickly help your loved one in an emergency.

The Huntsville OPP is committed to serving our province. If you have any information about crime in our community, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To report minor occurrences online, please visit www.opp.ca/reporting. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit your information online at www.crimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display, and you will remain anonymous. You will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.00.

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