Scam targetting Summerside grandparents

Summerside police are investigating a new telephone scam that plays on the love elderly people have for their grandchildren.

They said one Summerside woman was recently taken for $5,000.

Police said it appears people involved in the scam randomly call numbers and when they reach someone who sounds elderly they tell them it's their grandchild calling.

They wait for the person to say the name of the grandchild. The victim might say, "Fred, is that you?" The caller responds yes and says they are in trouble and need money to get out of jail.

They ask the victim not to tell anyone because they're too embarrassed. The caller asks for cash in the form of a money order and gives a series of directions on how to get that money to them.

Summerside police are urging people to beware of these kinds of calls, and not to hand over the money.