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AI voice fakery boosts rash of 㽶Ƶֱgrandson scam㽶Ƶֱ phone calls on Vancouver Island

Nanaimo RCMP report rash of phone scams where people were conned out of between $3,000 and $8,000

Police don㽶Ƶֱt typically field a lot of scam phone calls, but this week operators at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment received multiple calls from people asking if their grandchildren were being held in the detachment㽶Ƶֱs cells.

The calls were spurred by a wave of grandson scam attempts in Nanaimo and other Island communities.

㽶ƵֱWe had 20 calls yesterday,㽶Ƶֱ said reserve Const. Gary O㽶ƵֱBrien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson. 㽶ƵֱThose who got conned lost between $3,000 and $8,000.㽶Ƶֱ

The grandson scam involves criminals calling a potential victim, pretending to be their grandson and claiming to be in trouble with the law, often in a foreign country. They say they need several thousand dollars to cover bail and legal defence costs, and another scammer pretending to be a defence lawyer or assistant then comes on the line to instruct the victim on how much money is needed and how to transfer the funds.

This time, O㽶ƵֱBrien said, the scammers were claiming to be in jail in Nanaimo.

Voices in the calls impersonated grandsons, granddaughters, police and even the Embassy of Canada to the Dominican Republic.

㽶ƵֱIt actually was friend of mine who called in. He㽶Ƶֱs quite an astute guy, too. He said [he was 95 per cent sure] it was a fraud, but they used AI to [mimic] his niece㽶Ƶֱs voice 㽶Ƶֱ He said it sounded just like his niece,㽶Ƶֱ O㽶ƵֱBrien said. 㽶ƵֱShe was 㽶Ƶֱarrested and in jail㽶Ƶֱ in the Dominican Republic and they had an 㽶Ƶֱofficial with Canadian consul㽶Ƶֱ call in.㽶Ƶֱ

Other scam stories involved someone who was in jail after being involved in a vehicle accident involving a pregnant woman, and someone who said they were taken into custody because they were a passenger in car in which drugs were seized.

㽶ƵֱThe other ones were impersonating a police officer 㽶Ƶֱ They also had legal assistants on, so it went from the grandson to the lawyer to the legal assistant who provided the detail on the [money] wire and the 10-digit transaction number,㽶Ƶֱ O㽶ƵֱBrien said. 㽶ƵֱWe had one woman call in from a local chartered bank and the bank refused to give the money out. They said you have to call the RCMP and it took about 20 minutes to convince her that it was actually a fraud.㽶Ƶֱ

O㽶ƵֱBrien said ages of the victims who fell for the scam varied from their 50s to 80s and for those who lost money, there㽶Ƶֱs little the RCMP can do to help them other than create a file about the theft.

㽶ƵֱThe money㽶Ƶֱs been wired out and unless they go immediately to their chartered bank with the file number, there㽶Ƶֱs not much the bank can do,㽶Ƶֱ O㽶ƵֱBrien said. 㽶ƵֱOften the bank will try to assist them.㽶Ƶֱ

To learn more about online fraud and telephone scams, how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud or what steps fraud victims should take, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at . Victims can also report frauds by calling 1-888-495-8501. Fraud victims should also contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.

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Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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