(Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

Fraud awareness

Prince Albert police warning public about ’emergency’ phone scam

Sep 10, 2024 | 12:47 PM

Citing recent complaints, the Prince Albert Police Service is reminding the public of frauds centered around false emergencies.

A common scam involves a potential victim, often an older adult, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member in an emergency and requiring money for various purposes. A large sum of money is requested and a ‘password’ is provided to the victim.

The fraudsters then arrange for someone to pick up the money and the ‘password’.

“If you receive a suspicious phone call, ask important questions of the caller to verify their identity but refrain from offering additional details yourself, including your address,” the police said in a media release, adding another option is to hang up and call that family member directly to verify their location and well-being and/or connect with other relatives to fact check the call.

If the caller is claiming to be law enforcement or a representative of another profession, hang up and call that authority directly to verify the information.

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“Fraudsters leverage urgency and panic to coerce the victim into complying with their request. Always use extreme caution, especially when being asked to send a form of currency.”

According to one complaints that was shared online, the scammer informed the elderly victim their grandchild got arrested and they would send someone to the house to pick up money.

Another person claimed she had received a call from someone asking for bail money.

If you have been a victim of a fraud and suffered a financial loss, please report the incident online to police. If you were contacted about this type of scam but did not experience a financial loss, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @princealbertnow