Elder Scams (Ottawa, Canada)

My dearest one, you've been scammed

By JON WILLING, SUN MEDIA

January 27, 2009

Canada's anti-fraud call centre identified fewer victims of West African letter scams in 2008, but those victims were still hustled for $3.2 million.

BLATANT ATTEMPT

To a savvy Internet user, the West African letter scam is a blatant attempt by a crook, using an alias, to solicit money under the guise of a lottery win, inheritance or business transaction -- but people unfamiliar with e-mail spam continue to take the bait.

In 2007, Canadian victims of the scam lost $5.4 million, and in 2006, 195 Canadians lost $3 million.

Robertson said police are receiving more help from international authorities in the regions where the scams are believed to be originating.

Identity theft and mass marketing frauds once again turned thousands of people into victims in 2008.

Mass marketing fraud garnered nearly $50 million from victims in the U.S. and Canada. Canadians reported losing $9.5 million to identity theft in 2008.

With the number of frauds using the Internet increasing, Robertson said "people will have to be a little bit smarter" online.

Fraud investigators saw the progression of another scam in 2008 that preyed on elderly people.

Nicknamed the "emergency scam" or "grandparent scam," the fraud involves crooks phoning elderly people under the guise of one of their grandchildren. The crook persuades grandparent to send money but not tell other relatives.

Abridged

SOURCE:    The Ottawa Sun

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