Spike in scam calls targeting Montreal seniors: police

Montreal police are urging people to be vigilant in light of a surge in scams targeting seniors.

Several people in the Côte-St-Luc area have recently been extorted for large sums of money through what’s known as grandparent fraud, police said on Thursday.

Fraudsters using this technique often phone their victims and pretend to be a relative.

For example, the caller will claim to be in great distress, possibly abroad, after being arrested or involved in a car crash.

That’s when the victim is pressured to send several thousand dollars in cash or via wire transfer to help their loved one.

Police say fraudsters insist the victim comply without telling anyone and may pretend to be a police officer, lawyer or bank representative.

FRAUD PREVENTION TIPS

The SPVM shared the following tips to avoid falling victim to fraud:

• If the caller asks if you recognize them, don’t answer and ask the person to identify themselves instead.
• Ask personal questions that only the person purportedly on the line would know.
• Ask for a phone number to call the person back, tell them to call you back later, or hang up.
• Verify the information the person has given you by calling a family member or the police.

FRAUD ON THE RISE

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has reported a drastic increase in grandparent scams, also known as emergency scams.

In 2022, more than $9.2 million was reported lost to such scams in Canada, up from $2.4 million in 2021.

Victim losses for all types of fraud totalled $530 million last year, up nearly 40 per cent from 2021.

Quebec residents reported losing over $732,000 to fraud in 2022, the third highest out of all the provinces.

HOW TO GET HELP

If you have been the victim of fraud, you can file a complaint by contacting your neighbourhood police station.

You can also report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone at 1-888-495-8501 or on its website.