Scammer may have stolen $100,000 through family emergency fraud

A scam artist operating in Saskatoon may have stolen as much as $100,000 by pretending to be a relative of his victims.

According to Saskatoon police, there have been numerous reports of family emergency scams in the past few weeks, and people have lost thousands of dollars along the way.

Family emergency scams typically target older victims, police said. A scammer will contact the victim by phone, pretending to be a relative in trouble, and ask for money to cover an emergency expense like bail or hospital bills.

“The fraudsters often work in tandem and connect the victim to a second person claiming to be a police officer, lawyer, doctor, or other authority,” police said in a statement.

“The payment is often requested as cash via mail carrier, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. This is a scam! Any legitimate authority would never make such requests.”

In all of the recent cases, police said the victims handed over money — often around $9,000 — to a man who pretended to be a courier, bailiff or bail bondsman. He was described as tall, slim and well-dressed, with a medium to dark complexion and clean-cut hair and facial hair, police said.

“A total of approximately $100,000 has been reported stolen during this time,” police said.

“Generally, the suspect(s) have personal details regarding the victim’s family and friends upon initial contact. While it has not been confirmed, investigators believe this personal information might have been accessed online.”

There are a few steps that can be taken to guard against such scams, police said. These included adjusting privacy settings on social media posts to prevent scammers from accessing personal information.

Fraudsters try to create a sense of urgency in their victims, police said, but it’s always important to double-check before making any payments.

“Always question urgent requests for money,” police said in a statement. “Police, judges, government authorities, or legal entities will never request that money be sent by courier or in the mail.”

If a call is suspicious, police advised asking questions to try to determine the caller’s identity without sharing any additional information. Alternatively, police added, simply hang up the phone and call the family member back directly to confirm their safety.

Any incidents of suspected fraud should be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre even if nothing has been lost, police said. Anyone who has been the victim of a scam or fraud was advised to contact the Saskatoon Police Service.