Police are urging people to be extra cautious when accepting unsolicited phone calls after a Blind Bay woman reported she was scammed out of $5000.
She told police she answered an incoming call from a man who claimed her daughter was involved in a car accident due to being intoxicated and therefore was arrested.
The woman continued to tell police that the man on the phone said her daughter needed bail money.
Police said she immediately e-transferred $2000 to the provided email address by the man. They said she also deposited $3000 into a bank account number given to her by the man.
After the interaction, and with $5000 sent, the woman called her daughter. The daughter said she had not been arrested and never needed money. The woman realized she had be scammed.
Police recommend people use codewords or ask about memories that would confirm the identity of the person, especially when unsolicited phone calls are about friends and family.
