RCMP warn public to be alert after couple almost fooled by grandparent scam in Nanaimo, B.C.

An RCMP cruiser is seen in this file photo.

Police in Nanaimo, B.C., are warning the public of a grandparent scam in the area after a couple in their 60s had a close call with a fraudster that could have cost them thousands of dollars.

According to a statement from the Nanaimo RCMP issued Friday, the incident unfolded in the early hours of Nov. 13, after the couple were awoken by a phone call from someone who sounded like their adult son.

The person was crying and told the couple he had been arrested. A second person, identifying himself as “Sgt. Thomas Scott,” appeared on the phone call and told the couple their son had been arrested and was being held at the “courthouse,” police said.

The person purporting to be Scott said their son had struck a one-year-old while driving and texting and, to release him from jail, they would have to pay $2,500 in bail.

“Given the time of night, and by using their son’s name, the couple didn’t outright dismiss the call,” said Const. Gary O’Brien in the statement. The RCMP say the son’s full name had been used during the call.

“The caller also appeared to be quite knowledgeable about the court system,” said O’Brien.

The couple caught on to the scam when the person on the other end of the line said an e-transfer payment was required to secure their son’s release. The couple hung up the phone and reported the incident to the police.

The incident had shaken the couple to such an extent that they attempted to contact their son and, after receiving no response, drove to his nearby home to check up on him. He was at home, “safe and sound,” police said.

“This is a great example of the extent that scammers will go to, to steal your money,” the RCMP warned.