Yet another successful Grandparent Scam has been reported to Winkler Police, with the victim losing a significant sum of money, occurring on Monday.

Similar to the previous cases earlier this month, the Winkler resident received a call from someone claiming to be her grand-daughter, saying she had been involved in a car accident where she had struck a pedestrian. The suspect requested a large amount of money, so she could be released from custody. The victim believed she was talking to her relative, and gave the money over to a female who came to the victim in person, similar to two other cases reported last week.

Chief Ryan Hunt says this is the fourth report since January 1st. Three victims have provided money to an unknown subject in person. One person hung up the phone when they received the call. Police suspect the cases are related, and confirmed the total amount of money lost is "substantial".

Winkler Police is encouraging city residents to discuss these current cases with elderly family members or friends, and has provided a number of tips on how vulnerable individuals can protect themselves. They include:

- Police services almost never request cash from someone to be released from custody. There are very rare circumstances when a cash surety needs to paid, but those situations are extremely uncommon, and the amount required would be very small.

- If you receive a call like this, do not provide cash to anyone. Hang up the phone and call a family member.

- If a family member is not available, call your local police service.

- Those with elderly family members or friends should ensure they have contact numbers for relatives and police readily available if needed.

Related Stories