Vancouver police are asking the public to help identify a suspect after another senior victim was scammed out of $10,000.
The Vancouver Police Department issued a renewed warning Thursday (July 14) after five people were scammed out of thousands of dollars.
The scammers trick vulnerable seniors into thinking their loved ones have been arrested and "convince their victims to hand over thousands of dollars in cash for bail money and other legal fees, often calling them on the phone and meeting them at their homes,” says Sgt. Steve Addison.
The photo of the suspect was taken Wednesday by a victim who became suspicious after a man posing as a police officer convinced her to hand over $10,000 to bail her son out of jail.
Police believe the man is part of a network of people working together to target vulnerable seniors in recent scams.
“Her gut instinct said something wasn’t right, but by the time she realized she’d been scammed she had already handed over the money," adds Addison.
The suspect is a man in his twenties with a slim build, dark complexion, and short curly hair. He was wearing a grey short-sleeved button up shirt, khaki pants, sunglasses and a black face mask.
Police ask anyone who can help identify the suspect to call VPD’s Financial Crime Unit at 604-717-0503 and anyone experiencing a crime-in-progress to call 911 immediately.
