B.C. police warn of evolving ‘grandson scam’ after woman loses thousands in bitcoin

Phone scams targeting Canadians. (Photo: Pexels)

Mounties in British Columbia say a notorious phone scam targeting seniors has evolved, with the fraudsters now demanding bitcoin from their victims rather than cash transfers.

The so-called “grandson scam” recently cheated a woman out of $2,000 worth of the cryptocurrency on Vancouver Island.

The Nanaimo RCMP says officers were contacted on Oct. 14 after the victim received a phone call from a man who said her grandson was in jail.

“Believing her grandson was in trouble, she asked what she could do to help him,” police said in a news release Friday.

The victim would need to send $2,000 in bitcoin to have her grandson released from police custody, the man reportedly told her.

The fraudster, who police say identified himself as Tom Scott, directed the woman to a local bitcoin ATM and provided instructions on how to buy and send the bitcoin to him.

The fraudster “continued to call even after the money was sent,” however a family member intercepted one of the calls and prevented further fraud attempts by telling the scammer the police had been notified, according to the release.

“If you receive a phone call from anyone claiming to be a law enforcement officer asking for bitcoin, money or gift cards, hang up and break off all communication,” said Const. Gary O’Brien in a statement. “It’s a scam.”

Anyone who falls victim to a scam or cybercrime is urged to contact their local police and report details of the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.