An elderly Belleville resident was robbed of $7,000 in a grandparent-type scam.
On Monday, police say a male claiming he was a lawyer contacted the victim by phone claiming their son was in an accident and $7,000 was needed to release the vehicle which had been impounded.
The victim withdrew the money from his bank and shortly after, a suspect picked up the money at the man’s house.
Unfortunately, the victim did not realize this was a scam until it was too late.
Police are reminding citizens that officers will never come to your residence in full or partial uniform to collect cash or to contact family members to request money for things like bail or a vehicle release.
Do not attend your bank to withdraw money to give to an unknown person following a frantic or pressure tactic call. Instead, call another family member for clarification or contact police.
The following link is from a CTV News article highlighting Grandparent Scams and how to protect yourself:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/grandparent-scams-are-on-the-rise-here-s-how-you-can-protect-yourself-1.6176021
