Vancouver police are searching for a suspect in a prolific seniors' scam.
Locals lost over $700,000 to scammers last year alone.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) released a photo and surveillance video of a suspect in a recent scam incident.
On Jan. 30, an 81-year-old Vancouver man received a phone call from a man identifying himself as a police officer. The senior was told that he needed to provide $12,000 in bail money because his grandson had been arrested on drug charges.
A suspect came to the victim's door later that day, collected the cash, and was caught on camera.
“The photo and home surveillance footage we’ve released today is of someone we believe posed as a courier in that incident, and stole thousands of dollars from an unsuspecting senior. We’re asking anyone who knows this man or sees him to call police,” says Const. Visintin.
Visintin adds that the VPD is renewing warnings to seniors after additional victims reported being scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars in recent weeks.
"These fraudsters continue to pull on the heartstrings of seniors by using high-pressure tactics to convince elderly people that their loved ones have been arrested and need bail money to get out of jail,” she says.
Locals can submit tips to the VPD's Financial Crime Unit at 604-717-0503 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
