Haliburton, Ont. man scammed out of thousands in grandparent fraud

Provincial police are warning about a scam targeting seniors that recently duped a Haliburton man out of thousands of dollars.

While most scams involve a convincing phone call to prey on potential victims, police say the suspects in this incident took matters a step further by attending their victim's home.

According to OPP, a man falsely identifying himself as a cop went to the victim's residence.

Police said the incident happened late last week when the suspect -posing as an officer - told the senior his granddaughter had been arrested for drug-related offences and was being held in custody.

"The fraudster then advised the victim that a payment of $9,000 was mandatory for her release," police stated.

They report the senior was warned not to contact his granddaughter's parents or anyone else.

"A female also spoke to the victim on the phone impersonating the granddaughter," police said. "Arrangements were made, and a female attended the victim's residence the following day to collect the money."

The woman is described as white, 18 to 23 years old, roughly five feet five inches tall, with a slim build, brown eyes and hair in a bun. She has a red/black tattoo on the left side of her neck that runs down her collarbone.

Police say the suspect vehicle is a silver 2013 to 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous.

Police encourage anyone who may be a victim of a fraud to report it online with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). The website also offers ways to prevent becoming a victim. According to the CAFC, more than $379 million in reported losses were documented last year.