Elderly Newmarket couple lost nearly $100K in ‘grandparent scam’

Police in York Region are alerting the public after an elderly couple lost close to $100,000 in a so-called “grandparent scam.”

In a video interview with investigators, an 81-year-old Newmarket man, using the pseudonym ‘Nicky,’ tells the story of how he and his wife lost the money between March and May 2022.

Investigators say the man’s wife received a phone call in March from someone pretending to be her grandson. He claimed he was arrested after riding in a friend’s vehicle that contained drugs and guns, of which he had no knowledge of.

“He’s more like a son to us than a grandson,” said ‘Nicky’ in the video, saying he and his wife truly believed their grandchild was in trouble. “We know him, we know his voice, we know his actions.”

A second caller, claiming to be a police officer, was able to persuade them to make payments to help their “grandson” with bail payments. They were also instructed to not mention the payments to anyone else, with the caller claiming there was a gag order.

“We were instructed to put the money in a special envelope,” Nicky said. “A courier would come once we had it all sealed and ready. They instructed us not to have any conversations with this courier.”

This scam occurred three more times over a period of two months, with the scammers claiming the judge had increased bail requirements and needed more funds.

“He had promised in the beginning, that once the gag order was lifted, we would get out funds back,” said Nicky. “Which we believed.”

“He sounded like a very personable person, very genuine.”

York Regional Police say they are highlighting the incident in an effort to “raise awareness of these types of frauds in the community and prevent others from becoming targets.”

“More than 50 reports of grandparent scams have been received by York Regional Police in 2022 alone, a 100 per cent increase so far from 2022,” reads a police release. “Since 2019, victims have suffered collective losses nearing $1 million and this worsening trend is of great concern to the police and the community.”

Investigators have been able to recover $16,000 to date, but say recovering funds that have been lost through this kind of fraud is very rare.

Crime prevention tips from police:

• Never offer personal or financial information to the caller
• Call the grandchild or family member in question, at a phone number you recognize as their own
• Ask the caller personal questions that only your grandchild could answer but an imposter could not
• Verify the story or information with family first
• Press the caller for details if they identify as a government official and verify their information
• Never send money to someone you don’t know
• Please take some time and ask yourself: “Could this be a scam?” “Does it make sense?”

York police have a list of known scams and tips on how to avoid becoming victim on their website.