A St. Thomas senior is down $9,000 after falling for a so-called grandparent scam.
The 67-year-old was awoken by a call in the middle of the night by a person claiming to be a lawyer who said the man’s grandson had been in a crash and needed money for bail.
St. Thomas police said the caller then told the man a “court bailiff” was coming to his house to pick up the cash.
The man withdrew the money from the bank in the morning and in the afternoon a woman in a black SUV arrived to pick it up, police said.
The incident has prompted police to issue a reminder to grandparents trying to keep their grandchildren safe.
“Please know that this is not how the Canadian Court system works. Even if your grandchild was charged with an offence in any jurisdiction and needed bail money, the money would have to be submitted at the courthouse,” police said. “No bail can be collected in cash at your house.”
Police advise anyone who receives a call like this to first try to contact their grandchild. If unable to reach them, you should begin calling other family members who may know of their whereabouts, police said.
