Hampstead resident

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A Hampstead resident, who does not want to be named, said she is a victim of the grandparents scam phenomenon, in which a relative claims to be in trouble and needs money urgently.

The resident said that very recently, she received a call from a person claiming to be her son, a Toronto resident — her phone does not have caller ID. The caller claimed to have been in an accident and suffered a broken nose after a female driver suddenly slammed on her brakes, and that his nose was repaired on the scene by paramedics. The victim says she may have called the scammer by her son’s name and possibly provided him with family information.

“It was exactly his voice, except that it sounded a bit muffled. The voice and intonation, I don’t know how they did it. The whole story was 100 percent plausible.”

The “son” then claimed that someone witnessed him using his phone just as the accident took place and he was going to be charged with reckless driving, and that he was calling from a courthouse and did not want anyone to know what took place. The scammer, invoking the name of an actual Montreal lawyer, said if $8,450 was paid, the woman driver would not press charges. He also claimed not to have his phone or wallet.

“He was almost in tears.”

The resident was then put in touch with the “lawyer”, who warned that her “son” could have a criminal record and a court case could take years. After a conversation, they agreed to about $4,000, and only in cash.

“I fell for this hook, line and sinker, it’s just pathetic! I went to the f–kin’ bank and took out the money, all in $100 bills. The fake lawyer sent over a driver, who he said would be in a white Mazda X3.”

The resident later called her son back, and eventually received a text saying he had guests over for Shabbat dinner.

“That’s it!”

The resident, notwithstanding numerous arrests in the West Island for a grandparents scam, said the police seemed to her to be blasé, telling her the scammers were likely not in Canada. She says she was also told that the cash given to the scammer is quickly converted into cryptocurrency, “so you can’t chase it.

“It’s crazy! There’s so many red flags, but you get so caught up.”

The victim called the real Montreal lawyer to let him know what had happened, and he told her that he received a similar call from another individual regarding the scam — in this case, the call was made to confirm whether the lawyer was involved in the claimed situation.

The resident wants the community to know that “even if it sounds real, you can’t proceed with an urgency. There has to be other ways. It sucks. They pull at your heartstrings.

“But it’s only money, at the end of the day.”

Police have issued warnings, saying “if someone calls you and asks if you recognize them, be alert. Do not answer and instead ask him to identify himself; ask personal questions that only the person he or she claims to be knows the answer to, such as where she was born, a family memory, etc.:;” and “take the time to verify the information the person has given you by calling a family member, caregiver, or your local police department, even if you have been asked not to. Never transfer or hand over money, even if you are pressured to do so and told it is urgent.” n