Have you been the target of a grandparent scam? | Canada Voices

You might think a scam could never happen to you. Maybe you’ve even caught yourself reading a headline about someone losing their life savings and thinking: I’d never fall for that.

If I’m being honest, I’ve thought that too. And it’s natural. We like to believe we’d spot the red flags, hang up the phone, outsmart the person on the other end. But the truth is, until you’re on the receiving end of something urgent, emotional and incredibly convincing, it’s hard to know how you’d react.

For many older Canadians, the stakes and risks can be even higher. There’s often a deep, lifelong trust in institutions and authority figures. And scammers know how to exploit that. They create situations that feel real, immediate and frightening enough to override hesitation.

In a short amount of time, savings built over decades can disappear. Savings that were meant to support a retirement or be passed down to children and grandchildren.

Scams are on the rise overall, but those targeting seniors have become a particularly troubling pattern. In 2024, the FBI reported that so-called “grandparent scams” jumped by more than 30 per cent, and that figure is likely far higher, since many cases go unreported.

The mechanics of a grandparent scam are simple. If it often seems like a real phone call, and on the other end is someone claiming to be a grandchild or another family member saying there’s been an accident, or an arrest, or some kind of emergency. Money is needed immediately. There’s pressure to act fast, and often, instructions not to tell anyone else.

In January, Ontario Provincial Police warned about exactly this kind of scheme after two incidents in the Upper Ottawa Valley. In one case, a senior in Pembroke, Ont., lost $800 after being told their grandchild was in legal trouble. Just days later, a senior in Petawawa nearly lost $20,000 in a similar call about bail money.

And these aren’t isolated cases. Some scams are far more elaborate. CBC reported last year that an 89-year-old man lost $1.7-million – a nest egg for his children and grandchildren – in a scheme involving fake bank employees, forged documents, and couriers collecting cash and gold.

The Globe and Mail is taking a hard look at these scams that target the elderly through a large investigation to understand the scale and scope of this problem. To do this, we need your help.

If you or someone you love has experienced a grandparent scam or another type of fraud targeting older adults, including but not limited to investment, gift card, or romance fraud, we’d like to hear from you. You can reach us at [email protected].

By reaching out, it doesn’t mean you have to be named in any potential story. If you have a conversation with a reporter, your comfort level of how you would like to be identified will be discussed.

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