Sarnia mother falls victim to “grandparent scam”

A Sarnia mother was taken for $8,000 when victimized in a recent telephone scam. Sarnia Police say the woman was called by someone pretending to be a lawyer representing her son.

A Sarnia mother was taken for $8,000 when victimized in a recent telephone scam.

Sarnia Police say the woman was called by someone pretending to be a lawyer representing her son. She was told her son had caused a vehicle collision while impaired that left a young person injured.

The “lawyer” claimed the son needed $8,000 bail to be released from custody.

The mother even spoke to someone on the phone pretending to be her son, but was told he couldn’t speak clearly because of his injuries.

She contacted her bank and arranged for the money to be wired to another bank account.

Police say the scam is an old one usually perpetrated on grandparents, who are asked to help out a grandchild in trouble and not tell anyone.

Before committing to anything, you should contact the family member directly or the police agency involved to verify the incident happened, Sarnia Police advise.

“They aim at striking fear and panic into people, so they react quickly and before they know it they have defrauded you,” said Const. Giovanni Sottosanti.