Old Scam Targets Seniors (CANADA)

Old scam targets seniors

Scam artists know how to push all the right buttons, police warn seniors.

13 February, 2010

The number of times a scam against seniors has been successful in recent months has fraud squad police concerned.

At least Niagara six seniors have handed over an average of $4,000 to $5,000 each to scam artists who pretend they are working for a local bank or credit union, says Det. Sgt. Paul Spiridi of the Niagara Regional Police fraud unit.

He has also received a number of complaints from seniors who have been contacted but haven't fallen for the scam, he says.

And those are just the ones he knows about. A scam artist could make 200 calls a day, and if he finds one senior who falls for his story, it's worth his while.

This past weekend, two seniors lost significant amounts of money by falling prey to the scam—one in St. Catharines and one in Fort Erie—but there are complaints of phone calls in every municipality across the region.

The suspect will tell the senior that he could help his bank identify a dishonest employee by withdrawing a sum of money—usually several thousand dollars—and delivering it to the suspect at a location away from the financial institution, promising to have the money returned to the senior's account.

There are also likely seniors who have lost money, and either don't realize it—it could take a while before they see that the money has never been returned to their account—or they are just too embarrassed.



Anyone with information that will assist in identifying suspects is asked to call the NRP at 905-688-4111, or leave an anonymous tip at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers can also be accessed on the Internet atwww.crimestoppersofniagara.com or by texting a message to CRIMES (274637) with the text reading tip309 and then the message.


Abridged
SOURCE:   The Niagara Advance, Canada

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