York Regional Police have released a video interview of a Newmarket senior who lost $100,000 in a grandparent scam in an effort to raise awareness about the increasingly common fraudulent activity.
“I didn't feel any anger towards what had happened. But I did really want justice to be done, like these thieves to be caught, to be brought to justice and that's why I'm willing to do this,” victim Nicky, who used a pseudonym, said in the interview.
In the video, YRP Detective Sergeant Glenn Wright and Detective Constable Leanne Guthrie are seen interviewing Nicky whose identity is concealed with a shadow.
The 81-year-old goes on to discuss how he and his wife lost the large sum of money between March and May 2022.
In March, Nicky and his wife received a phone call from a person they believed was their grandson.
He claimed that he had been arrested while he was a passenger in his friend’s car, which unbeknownst to him, contained illegal drugs and a gun.
Nicky was told that a judge requested bail money for his grandson’s release.
“And after he (grandson) got off the phone, a person who identified himself as an RCMP officer came on the phone and reiterated what my grandson had said to us. He also said that the judge had issued a gag order on the proceedings because of the narcotics that were involved. He asked that we not discuss it with anybody, not even anybody in our family,” Nicky said in the interview.
The fraudulent RCMP officer then asked Nicky and his wife to pay a sum of money for bail to free their grandson.
“So my wife and I decided that we would try to get it because it’s our grandson. I mean, we didn't think of it being not true. And so there's all that emotion, we decided that yes we would help him.”
Nicky was instructed by the fraudulent RCMP officer to put the money in an envelope and that a courier would come by to collect the funds.
Over the course of two months, the fraudster persuaded the couple to make four separate payments to assist their grandson.
Nicky said the officer claimed that a gun was found by police in the vehicle, therefore increasing the bail amount issued by the judge.
“He had promised us in the beginning that once the gag order was lifted, we would get our funds back, which we believed.”
Nicky said he and his wife have a great relationship with their grandson and that he’s “more like a son” to them.
“It was our grandson. We felt we had to do it. His voice was our grandson’s. So we knew it was our grandson. So we thought.”
After two months of back and forth calls with the fraudster Nicky decided to call his grandson directly and that’s when he discovered he was a victim of a scam.
“And I said to him, ‘What was the name of the detective who took you to the precinct in Toronto?’ He says ‘What precinct?’ and I got this really uneasy feeling,” Nicky said.
“My original immediate response to him was OK, I see,I see we are being scammed,” he added.
Nicky and his wife then alerted police about the incident,
Nicky said throughout the two months he never had a moment wondering if he was being scammed.
“ I just wonder how I missed any signs that I should (have)... I didn't have a ‘Let me think about this for a second.’ I didn't have one of those moments,” he said.
The couple currently live in a senior’s home, which Nicky said has been understanding about their financial woes during this time.
The scam has also taken away the funds the couple would have used to go on an annual small trip within the province.
“So this would have been the month that we did that. Also, it was our 50th anniversary that coincided and we weren't able to do that. So all of these things now have had to be put aside…we're making it through, but just a lot of adjustment,” Nicky said.
He said it has been a difficult time for his family, especially financially, but his Christian faith is helping him cope.
“There are two passages in the Bible that really stand out for me. It makes who I am. One of them says ‘My God shall supply all my needs, according to his riches and glory.’ That means that as much as these thieves took there's still more available to me, however the Lord decides to get that back to me, us,” he said.
“And then the other one is that all things work to the good of those who love the Lord,” he added.
Nicky advises people who think they are being scammed to seek help and phone someone who can confirm the truth.
YRP say Nicky is one of more than 50 reports of grandparent scams in the region so far this year, a 100 per cent increase from 2021.
Since 2019, grandparent scam victims have suffered a total loss of nearly $1 million.
“Despite the fact recovering funds lost through fraud is extremely rare, through this investigation and with co-operation from financial institutions, police have helped recover $16,000 to date,” police said in a news release on Thursday.
Investigators believe there are more victims in the region that have not yet contacted police.
Anyone who is a victim of a fraud, and has lost money, is being asked to report the incident promptly to the Financial Crimes Unit either online at www.yrp.ca/ReportIt or by calling 1-866-876-5423.
Frauds where no money has been lost can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.