Grandparent scam targets another Halifax area senior
Intended victim refuses to fall for fraud; reports incident to police
Halifax police say they now have a ninth report of the so-called grandparent scam, but in this case the senior targeted by a fraudster didn’t fall for the deception.
The incident was reported to Halifax Regional Police Thursday night after the force warned this week that someone was calling local seniors and pretending to be a grandchild in trouble in another part of the world.
The perpetrator then asked for money for a lawyer, bail, or to pay damages.
In all, police say they have recent reports of eight victims being bilked out of tens of thousands of dollars. The seniors were in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.
In this latest incident, however, Const. Pierre Bourdages said the intended target did not get caught by the fraud.
When the perpetrator called, the victim asked for a last name. The person passed the phone to a second person, pretending to be a Montreal police officer.
The victim asked the same question, and the fake cop said he was too busy and hung up.