Police are warning older residents to be careful about who they send money to after receiving suspicious phone calls.
OPP officers say “emergency grandparent scams” continue to be a problem in Eastern Ontario.
Victims receive phone calls from fraudsters impersonating a loved one or claiming to be a law enforcement officer or lawyer calling on their behalf.
The scammers tell the victim their loved one was arrested or in some kind of emergency, and that they need money urgently to post bail or pay some other fee or fine.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), Ontario residents lost more than $5.4 million to these scams in 2022, and only five to ten per cent of cases are reported.
Police are urging residents to have a conversation with their older relatives about how to identify fraud like this.
If you’ve been a victim of a scam or know someone who has, they’re also encouraging you to report it to the CAFC or local police.