An 80-year-old Trail man is lucky to have his money returned to him.
On Monday, February 22nd, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a complaint from the man who was the victim of an ongoing telephone scam.
“The victim received a phone call from a fraudster posing as a police officer who demanded $10,000 in order that his grandson could be bailed out from jail,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson “As per the instructions from the fraudster, the victim mailed the money via Purolator to the address in Laval, Quebec, before a family member discovered that he was being defrauded.”
Trail RCMP said they contacted a Purolator Solutions Specialist about the unusual situation. According to police, the Solutions Specialist went “above and beyond” to ensure the $10,000 package was intercepted before being delivered to the alleged fraudster and returned to the victim.
The Trail man was apparently very happy to get his money back and was referred to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to help him prevent from falling prey again to this kind of scam.
It is important to note that sending money in the mail or via courier is entirely different from electronic transfers over the phone or online. If funds are sent electronically, they are almost never recovered.
Trail RCMP also warn the public that the RCMP does not collect money over the phone. Should you be contacted by someone alleging to be police, hang up and notify your local RCMP detachment if someone saying that they are a police officer and is asking for money.