Vancouverites lost over $700,000 combined to a bail money scam in 2022.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) shared on Thursday (Jan. 26) that 56 victims handed over cash for bail money last year alone. The most amount of money handed over was $123,468 on Aug. 2.
"If someone claiming to be police or a family member phones asking for bail money, it's a scam," the VPD writes.
A rep for the VPD tells V.I.A. that they believe there is a network of scammers working in and around Vancouver which is linked to other scammers across Canada.
"We’ve had some success in identifying and arresting suspects, but because most people don’t realize they’ve been scammed until several hours, or even days later, gathering evidence and recovering money is extremely difficult," Sgt. Steve Addison writes.
Police encourage Vancouver residents to talk with family members about this scam to make sure no one else is victimized.
