BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
GUYSBOROUGH — The Nova Scotia RCMP is warning citizens about a phone fraud that’s spreading through communities across the province, in which victims are pressed to provide money to allegedly bail out loved ones in distress.
Guysborough RCMP District Commander Sgt. Natasha Farrell said, so far, she hasn’t received any reports of the so-called “grandparent” or “emergency” scam in any of the county’s three detachments – Canso, Sherbrooke, or Guysborough – but that people here should be on guard, nonetheless.
“If any of our locals suspect they are a target of such fraud… never give personal or financial information to unknown callers, or through text or email,” she told The Journal in an email last week. “Resist acting immediately, when being pressured to hand over money, and never send crypto currency or gift cards for payment. [And] beware of online investments groups that ask for personal information.”
In a statement Aug. 2, Nova Scotia RCMP said that police officers in the Halifax Regional Municipality and Pictou County have responded to four recent complaints of incidents in which people “are contacted in what appears to be an emergency situation and asked to provide money to alleviate a bad circumstance of a loved one, such as being in jail or in a car accident.”
The fraudsters often pose as family members and attempt to persuade elderly victims to pay fees, fines, or ransoms to bail them out. According to the RCMP statement, “Law enforcement, court officials and bailiffs across Canada do not solicit the release of someone for money.”
Farrell said that anyone receiving such a call should “be careful [because] scammers can spoof telephone numbers and make it appear as though they’re calling from a trusted source… Slow things down, hang up and reach out to the relative with a number you know and trust.”
What’s more, she said, “Never agree to meet with someone who called you asking for money [and] report the incident to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, [which] collects information on fraud and identity theft and provide past and current information on current scams affecting Canadians.”
Last month, during her quarterly police report to Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) council, Farrell said that while crime, as a whole, was not a significant problem in Guysborough County, “We are getting a lot of online extortion, where people are reaching out to those who are using social media and saying, ‘Send me money, or I will send this photo to everybody on your contact list.’ It’s hard to tell whether there’s more of this actually happening, or if there’s more people recording it. But… [incidents] are flagged as higher than normal.”
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can be reached by calling 1-888-495-8501 or online: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.
The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited. Access can also be gained by registering and logging in at: https://lji-ijl.ca.
You can support trusted and verified news content like this.
FIPA’s news monitor subscribers, donors and funders help make these available to everyone rather than behind a paywall. We appreciate every contribution because it makes a difference.
If you found this article interesting and useful, please consider contributing here.
