Calgary senior loses $10,000 in 'grandparent scam'

He thought he was helping keep his grandson out of jail, but he was instead the victim of a grandparent scam Calgary police say is sweeping through the city.

Ted Mayer says his father received a phone call from an unlisted number, with the people on the other end pretending to be his grandson and an RCMP officer.

"He said, 'grandpa, do you know who this is?' And my dad went 'no... no. I don't know who this is.' And he repeated it and said 'you know who this is, don't you?' And my dad says 'well, it kind of sounds like Dylan'," Mayer said.

Mayer's father, who does not want to be identified by name because he fears he will be targeted again, said the people on the phone claimed his grandson had been pulled over by police and drugs had been found in the vehicle he was driving.

The scammer told the 79-year-old there was a way to keep his grandson out of jail, but he could not tell anyone else about it.

"So then he hands the phone to a constable -- quotations around "constable" -- so constable Webber picks up the call and he says 'listen, this is what's happening, if you want to keep your grandson out of jail, then we would entertain a bond. I can send a bondsmen there to pick up cash. It's $10,000'," Ted Mayer said.

The senior picked up $10,000 in cash at two different banks and it was picked up by an unknown person later that day, Mayer says.

The scammers used family members and played off the situation as urgent, Mayer says, and his father only realized after the money was gone that it did not seem right.

SERIES OF INCIDENTS

He thought he was helping keep his grandson out of jail, but he was instead the victim of a grandparent scam Calgary police say is sweeping through the city.

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) said there's been a series of incidents of people targeting seniors for cash using similar methods in recent months.

In a matter of a few weeks, six victims have lost more than $50,000 to so-called grandparent scams, police say.

"It is important to note that Calgary Police Service officers, and other law enforcement officers, are not involved in collecting bail money from citizens over the phone," reads a statement from CPS.

Earlier this year, police charged two people in relation to a similar scam and are searching for another man wanted for more recent incidents.

Mary O'Sullivan-Andersen with the Better Business Bureau says the grandparent scam is common across North America, but there are ways people can be sure the person calling is really a family member.

"If they say they're your grandson, ask them who they are, ask them their name. Have some questions that you might be able to really identify whether it legitimately is a family member in trouble or whether it's a perpetrator looking to scam you," O'Sullivan-Anderson said.

Meyer says they wanted to speak out in hopes that it helps even just one person better know the signs to look out for when they're being victimized and his father knows the chances of getting his money back are slim.

"He was so embarrassed. He's such a kind, loved person. He's not going to hurt anybody, he goes out of his way to take care of his friends and family. It was so disheartening," Meyer said.

Anyone with information about these scams or the identity of the suspect is asked to either call Crime Stoppers or the police non-emergency number at 403-266-1234.