(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) – On January 5th, 2012 at 10:06 am, the South Bruce OPP received information that a resident of Brockton had sent money to Montreal to help their grandchild. The “grandson†called to advise he’d been in a car crash with a rental vehicle and the rental agency was demanding money from him. Officers were able to interrupt the shipment and arrangements are being made to return the money. This is rare as it’s normally very difficult to get the money returned to its rightful owner. The grandparent scheme has been operating for a long time. The caller is always from Montreal and the scam generally involves a car crash or a request to get “bailed out of jailâ€Â. The scammer always knows the grand child’s name and the call starts out with “Grandma (Grandpa)…I need helpâ€Â. The South Bruce OPP is asking families and care givers to help spread the word. Being scammed is even harder for someone on a fixed income. For more information on fraud call the Canadian Anti_Fraud Call Centre at 1 888 495 8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.
The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information that can assist police to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or send a web-tip to crimestop-gb.org, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
