Seniors targeted in credit card scam

Callers pretending to be bank security told victims to hand over their credit cards to a courier leading to nearly $1,000 in fraud

Barrie police are alerting the public to a scam targeting seniors that seems to be increasing across the region.

Two seniors have recently lost roughly $1,000, according to police, after being scammed that started as a phone call.

Police say the instance began with a man on the phone impersonating a bank security employee saying the seniors’ credit cards had been compromised. They were then instructed to put the cards in envelopes and were told a courier would be by their home to collect them as a part of the so-called investigation.

The man went to the seniors’ house in the city’s south end and got the credit cards. The seniors’ bank later confirmed $1,000 was used to make fraudulent transactions with the cards.

Police are worried the seniors were targeted due to their age and that there may be additional and similar scams circulating in the area.

Authorities are looking for help in this investigation and encourage anyone who has experienced a scam to call police at 705-725-7025 or report it online to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The man in this case is described as black, between 20 and 30 years old, around 6 feet fall with a slim build, wearing an orange reflective vest and was believed to have left the area in a small, light grey vehicle.

The police service is urging people to have open conversations with family members, neighbours and those who may be vulnerable. It advises them to have discussions surrounding tactics fraudsters use to trick people.

Fraud Prevention Month runs throughout March.