The Nova Scotia RCMP is warning people about scams in several communities across the province where imposters ask people for money.
Last week, police responded to four complaints in the Halifax area and in Pictou County of what some call the “grandparent scam” or “emergency scam.”
Victims are contacted by someone pretending to be a loved one. The perpetrator pretends to be in an emergency situation where they need money , like being in jail or in a car accident, according to a news release from RCMP.
On Thursday, there were “a number of concerned calls” related to a “grandparent scam” in and around Port Hawkesbury, according to an email from the RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Carlie McCann.
Police, court officials and bailiffs in Canada do not release people from custody if they receive money, the release said.
To protect yourself from scams like this, the police recommend:
- Slow down the conversation, hang up and reach out to the relative with a phone number you know and trust.
- Report the call to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- Do not give out personal information or banking information over the phone.
- Do no send money physically or digitally in any way, including through gift cards.
- Watch out for scammers using phone numbers you know. They can fake the numbers.
- Contact the agency represented, be it a court, police force or something else, through a legitimate phone number found online or in a phone book.
- Never meet with someone who asked you for money.
If you or someone you know is a victim of a scam, police ask you contact them or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
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