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Broadcast time: 11:42 am |
Date: June 18, 2018 |
On June 15, 2018, members of the Sarnia Police Service General Patrol responded to a call regarding a phone scam where funds were actually transferred.
A mother received a call advising that her son had been involved in an accident and that he was impaired and was being held for a bail hearing since he had injured a youth in the collision.
The caller claimed to be a lawyer representing the victim’s son and requested that $8000 be transferred for her son’s release. She was also told not to contact anyone regarding this.
The victim was made to believe that she was speaking to her son on the phone and due to injuries he received could not speak clearly.
Unfortunately the victim did arrange for money to be wired through her bank to another bank account. The victim is now working with the Sarnia Police Service CID Branch to see if the transfer can be stopped.
We remind people that these scams are always present with slight changes to get people on the hook. In this case it is a slight twist to the “grandparent scam”.
Before committing to anything like this make an effort to research for yourself. Get a hold of the family member or the actual local police agency to verity the incident occurred. You can also contact the Sarnia Police Service to assist you in contacting the other agency to look into the matter if you run into difficulty.
If you do not give out any information or money then there is no need to contact the police as we aware of these scams and if no crime has been committed (unlike in this case where money was lost) then we will not investigate it. If information is given out or money is defrauded then we do ask you call and we will do our best to assist you.
Remember to be vigilant with these sorts of scams as they aim at striking fear and panic into people so they react quickly and before they know it they have defrauded you!
Constable Giovanni Sottosanti
Media Officer and Executive Officer
Tel: 519-344-8861 Ext 6168
Email: 168@police.sarnia.on.ca