Saanich Police officers have issued an advisory to the public after scammers in the area made a bold new move last week.
The type of fraud known as ‘Emergency Scam’ is a well-known one that has existed for years. In this scheme, fraudsters typically contact elderly people claiming to be one of his/her grandchildren.
Certain variations of this scam include ‘The Police’, where they convince the victim that a family member is in trouble and needs money right away. The victim then usually transfers the cash without checking to verify the scammers’ story.
One step too far this time
On July 11th, a potential victim in the Gordon Head neighbourhood got a call from a man who claimed that her son was in trouble with the police and they needed her to send money to deal with him. He then issued a threat stating that if she didn’t comply with his demands, she would be arrested.
Fortunately, the woman was unconvinced and hung up after a short conversation. However, about 20 minutes later, two unknown men showed up at her door claiming to be RCMP Officers and were dressed in clothes similar to the RCMP serge.
They threatened to arrest her for not complying with their demands. However, she demanded ID which the two men were unable to produce. The potential victim then promptly closed the door on them.
We're warning the public of a concerning variation of the Emergency Scam, after being contacted by a 90 year old #Saanich woman. The "Police" came to her door to arrest her. Info on our webiste: https://t.co/4JXwxxR4yD pic.twitter.com/zxm2VQXdVB
— Saanich Police (@SaanichPolice) July 19, 2018
Description of the suspects
- Suspect One:
Asian man, around 30 years old, 5’9”-5’10” tall, thinner build, wearing police style pants with a bronze stripe on the legs and a red jacket similar to a RCMP serge. - Suspect two:
White man, possibly in his 40’s, with a medium build also wearing police style pants with a bronze stripe on the legs and a red jacket similar to a RCMP serge.
If you have any information about these suspects please call the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321 or, to remain anonymous, contact Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477.
