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Tis the season for giving but unfortunately there are those out there who only want to take.

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The Strathcona County RCMP recently did a presentation to council on a scam happening in our community directly targeting seniors and everyone should be aware to not only protect themselves, but their vulnerable loved ones as well.

The grandparent fraud scam is a common scam that targets seniors and is on the rise across Canada. It involves the scammer calling, sounding very distressed and claiming to be a grandchild that is in trouble and needing money. They claim to have been arrested and needing bail, in an accident or having car trouble and needing funds, or another plausible excuse. The caller who poses as the grandchild will then claim they are embarrassed or since in trouble do not want their parents to know, so ask the victim to keep it a secret from other family members.

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To make the call more plausible, they may even put another person on the line to act as a police officer, bail bondsman or lawyer. The caller may even pose as an officer or person of authority themselves and use the name of a grandchild, found through online research, to ask for money on the grandchild’s behalf. The caller will ask for the money to get the grandchild out of their current situation. The scammer will ask for the money in cash, to be sent through a money transfer services or e-transfer. They will even go as far as to arrange someone to come to the victim’s home to collect the money but may also ask for the cash to be sent by mail.

The scam preys on the vulnerability and emotions of seniors and family as it targets their compassion for a family member in trouble, causes panic and worry and prompts immediate action for the victim to help their loved one. It is frustrating that people in this world take advantage of others in this way and angers me to hear these crimes have been happening locally (in Strathcona County there have been 13 reports of grandparent scams in 2022).

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How do you protect yourself? One tip is to lock down your social media privacy settings. Criminals are using social media to access personal information to make their scam stories more plausible. They can easily access this information if you do not have strong privacy settings on platforms such as Facebook. If you receive one of these phone calls, hang up and call the family member involved directly with the number you have for them or the agency they are claiming to be from. Also know that bail money can only be paid at a police station in person with an officer or submitted directly to the courthouse.

To protect the seniors in your life, have conversations with them about this scam and what to do if they are targeted. Make them aware of how this scam works and what to do if they are targeted. Ensure all phone numbers for yourself or loved ones are up to date and easy for them to find in case of an emergency or phone call scam so they can verify who the caller is.

And most importantly, if either yourself or a senior you know receive a call requesting money, do not pay it and contact the Strathcona County RCMP immediately at 780-467-7741.

Stay safe this holiday season and please be vigilant.

Dave Anderson is the Ward 2 Councillor for Strathcona County. He can be reached by calling 780-464-8002 or by emailing dave.anderson@strathcona.ca.

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