FOOTHILLS COUNTY, Alta — RCMP received a complaint on May 25 of a County resident losing thousands of dollars in a “relative in jail” scam.
A person claiming to be a lawyer phoned the victim, stating the victim's son was in jail and needed bail money. The victim sent the initial money, and then received a second phone call, in which the scammer claimed charges had been increased and more bail money was required.
The victim provided more money before finally speaking to their son, who was not in police custody.
Cpl. Ryan Eckersley with Foothills RCMP said since the money was sent from a bank, there are steps police can take to track where the money went, identify a suspect and hopefully lay charges.
Eckersley said the son was named by the scammer during the phone call. People who carry out these kinds of scams often provide names of relatives to the intended victim to make the request for money seem legitimate.
Scammers do their homework and can find background information on intended victims, Eckersley said, including names and even phone numbers, from social media.
He called the number of recent successful scams “disheartening.”
These types of scams are successful due to their seeming urgency and seriousness of the situation, and are therefore used often, he said.
“Any time somebody is trying to urgently get you to provide money, slow the process down and do your diligence before providing any funds,” said Eckersley.
If you are suspicious, contact police and do not provide money or personal information.
