Woman avoids giving $6,500 in grandson bail money scam

A Shuswap woman realized she was being scammed just in time before giving $6,500.

In a news release, Salmon Arm RCMP say a woman received a home call on Feb. 7 from a man saying her grandson was in jail and needed bail money. She gave the man her address and went to her bank and withdrew $6,500.

Police say a woman dressed in civilian clothing arrived at the home, but the grandmother suspected it was a scam when the woman refused to provide her license plate. The woman had parked down the road so the grandmother couldn’t see her vehicle.

The grandmother didn’t give any money and the woman left. RCMP say they attempted to identify the fraudster and searched the neighbourhood for witnesses and video, but there was no further information. Calls to the phone number that called the grandmother went unanswered.

Salmon Arm RCMP remind residents that bail money is not collected at homes, especially by people who refuse to identify themselves. Police also recommend not giving out their address to anyone requesting large sums of money over the phone.