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Phone scam targets grandparents, Salt Lake police warn
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If your grandson says he's hurt in Canada, check it out.

Salt Lake City police are warning people about a phone scam targeting seniors, said Sgt. Robin Snyder. Three grandmothers in Salt Lake City filed fraud complaints about a similar scam during the month of June.

The caller poses as a grandchild, though not necessarily using a name, and claims to have been involved in an accident involving a rental car and/or alcohol in Canada. The caller then requests the grandparent wire about $3,000 to $5,000 to Vancouver, British Columbia, for costs associated with the damaged car and arrest. In two of the cases, the person asked that the grandmother not call the grandchild's parents.

The calls appear to come from Canada.

If people receive similar calls, Jones recommended they ask the caller which agency made the arrest and confirm independently with police, hang up and call the grandchild back using known contact numbers, ask the caller questions only a family member would know or call family members to ask about the accident.

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of this phone scam can call the Salt Lake City Police Department at 801-799-3000.

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