An old scam has resurfaced in the city that uses aggressive tactics to get people to purchase pre-paid gift and credit cards to bail out family members and police say Calgarians have been taken for thousands of dollars by fraudsters this year.

The scammers are calling people saying they work for the Calgary Police Service and tell the victim that one of their friends or family members is in custody and that they can bail them out by buying pre-paid gift cards.

Investigators say the scammers usually ask for iTunes gift cards and that they keep the victim on the phone while they make the purchase. The victim is then asked to provide the activation codes to get the person released from custody.

Police say the scammers often use an online app to spoof the phone number so it looks like it is coming from the person in custody or from police.

Some of the victims also receive a call from someone saying that they need the phone number of a friend or family member so they can deliver a package to them.

Police say the delivery call comes before the scam call and that the fraudsters also use spoofing technology so it looks like the delivery call is coming from a real company.

The scammers use pressure tactics like keeping people on the phone, threats and harassment to coerce the victims.

Investigators say the average loss to each victim is $2500 and that Calgarians have reported $168,000 in losses to this scam so far this year.

Police say citizens should be aware that:

  • The Calgary Police Service will never contact family members to solicit bail money for individuals who have been arrested.
  • Citizens will only be contacted by CPS about the arrest of one of their family members if the person in custody is a minor.
  • People who have been charged or are eligible for bail have access to phones to contact their friends and family members.
  • Bail is not managed by the CPS and can only be paid in-person at provincial courthouses or correctional centres. Acceptable forms of payments do not include any form of gift cards, including iTunes gift cards.
  • The CPS will never solicit payments in the form of gift cards.
  • If a citizen receives a call stating that a friend or family member is in custody, they should hang up the phone make attempts to contact that person.
  • As in all cases, if you are told you owe money, never feel pressure to provide payment until you’ve determined if the debt is real. Legitimate requests will not be that urgent.
  • If your workplace sells gift cards be on the lookout for potential victims and inform them about this scam. Victims may seem very stressed and agitated, be on the phone and purchasing a large amount of gift cards.

Police say anyone who has lost money or been the victim of a legitimate threat should report it by calling 403-266-1234