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Regina police are warning the public about an old scam that apparently has been given an update.
The so-called “Grandparent Scam” — in which a caller pretends to be phoning on behalf of a grandchild who is supposedly in trouble and needs money for legal fees or car repairs — has been renewed as the “Parent Scam.”
According to police, the victim gets a call from someone claiming to be the victim’s child who then starts the scam.
“The caller uses information given in the victim’s initial response to build credibility, giving the victim an urgent story of some sort of crisis requiring immediate transfer of money,” the police release said. “The caller/scammer may request that money be sent using a courier or a money transfer service.
“The victim gets caught up in the urgency and, out of concern, sends the money. It is only after the money has been sent and the victim starts making other calls to family and friends that they realize there was no crisis and learns they are a victim of fraud.”
Police are reminding people who get a call like that to ask questions, take notes, ask for the caller’s phone number, and then hang up and make some calls to check on the veracity of the claim.
Anyone who has been the victim of a fraud like that is urged to report it to police at 306-777-6500.
