Resident falls victim to Grandparent scam

At least one resident in Sudbury has fallen victim to the grandparent phone scam, where someone calls an older person, pretending to be a grandchild, and asks for money to help them out of a situation, said Greater Sudbury Police Service.

In this particular incident, the victim was asked to send money via Western Union to suspects in Quebec.

This is one of several incidents reported to police over the past several weeks.

Earlier this week, GSPS issued a press release warning residents to be wary of similar phone calls. A male attempted to impersonate a victim's grandson in one incident.

The suspect tells the person he is in trouble and had been arrested. He tells the person a lawyer will be in contact with them for further instructions.

After some time has passed, another person impersonating a lawyer will call and give them instructions to take out a large amount of cash with arrangements for it to be handed over.

They are told the cash is to get the relative out of trouble. The person posing as a lawyer claims the loved one will not have a record and will no longer have to spend time in jail. The people on the phone come off as convincing and are able to solicit names from their victims, said police.

The public is asked to help educate potential victims as most of the victims are elderly. If anyone is aware of someone that could be vulnerable to this scam, help ensure them no amount of money is needed to be provided in this manner to help their loved one in these circumstances.

If anyone has been a victim of this type of fraud, they are encouraged to call police.