An elderly Newmarket couple lost $100,000 after falling victim to a grandparent scam and now are sharing their story with York Regional Police to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.
Police said an 81-year-old who is using the pseudonym Nicky and his wife got a call in March 22, 2022 from someone who claimed to be their grandson. He said he was arrested while in the passenger seat of a friend's car that unknown to him had drugs and guns in it.
"On the end of the phone call was my grandson who was crying, he was upset," Nicky said.
His grandson was only allowed to talk to them for a few minutes to say what had happened, he said. Then the phone was passed to a second person.
"After he got off the phone a person who identified himself as an RCMP officer came on the phone and re-iterated what my grandson had said to us," Nicky said.
He said the person told them the judge had issued a gag order in his grandson's case and told them not to discuss it with anyone, including family members. The person then said if they received the bail their grandson would be released and gave them an amount to pay.
"We didn't think of it being not true and so with all that emotion we decided, yes, we were going to help him," Nicky said.
They are very close with their grandson and would see him often, he said, adding that he is more like a son to them than a grandson. He is a survivor of both a heart transplant and a cancer survivor, he said.
The seniors were given instructions on what to do with the money. They were told to put it in an envelope and a courier would come pick it up. The following days they got more calls reminding them not to talk to anyone and eventually another call asking for more money. This went on for a couple of months, Nicky said.
Throughout this period, they sent about $100,000.
After not hearing from who they believed to be the RCMP officer in a couple of days, Nicky and his wife said they began to get suspicious and decided to call their grandson directly.
"I said to him, 'What was the name of the detective who took you to the precinct in Toronto?' He said 'what precinct?'" Nicky said. "I got this uneasy, really uneasy feeling."
He told his grandson the situation and he told him it had never happened. He said he realized in that moment that they were being scammed.
"I had this real sinking feeling that yeah, it was a scam," Nicky said.
He said it has been a range of emotions. At first he said he felt "clobbered" and had a feeling in the pit of his stomach, but leaning on his Christian faith he said he trusted God and that it would all work out. He said there was no anger but he wanted justice.
"That's why I'm willing to do this," he said of sharing his story.
The financial impacts have meant that the couple, who live in a seniors residence, have had to make some lifestyle changes. Before the pandemic they used to take some time in August every year and go on a little vacation to a place in Ontario that one of them hadn't been to. It was also their 50th wedding anniversary prior to the pandemic.
"All of these things now have had to be put aside," Nicky said. "We're making it through but it's a lot of adjustment."
Looking back, he said there were no moments throughout the process of making these payments that he paused or even thought anything was wrong. Now he is offering advice to other seniors and residents in the community.
"The first time you get a request for large money, even if it says it's somebody legal, phone somebody you know who can tell you yes or no right away," he said.
Through this investigation and with the help of financial institutions, more than $16,000 has been recovered in this case, however YRP said it is rare that funds lost through fraud are recovered.
Police said Nicky and his wife are one of more than 50 reports of grandparent scams that YRP has received in 2022 alone, a 100 per cent increase so far from 2021.
Investigators believe there could be more victims out there. Anyone who has been the victim of fraud where you have lost money is asked to contact YRP's financial crimes unit at 1-866-876-5423 or online. If you have not lost money you can report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
