By Madeleine Villa [1]
BELLEVILLE – The Cobourg Police have been investigating numerous telephone-fraud incidents in the Northumberland County area, the so-called “grandparent scam.”
They warn that fraudsters are attempting to scam elderly people into sending money or redeemable gift cards, making them believe that they need to do so in order to keep family members from going to jail.
These criminals are professionals and pretend to be police officers, lawyers and even family members of the victims, police say.
They will call victims and tell them that a family member has been involved in an accident in another country and needs help. They then advise the victims to send money and redeemable gift cards immediately so that these family members won’t be jailed or sued.
The Cobourg Police are urging anyone who receives these calls to call police immediately for assistance.