Another thwarted grandparent scam leads to charge for Brampton resident

Charges have been laid against a young person from Brampton following at least the second attempted grandparent scam stopped in less than two days.

On Tuesday, the City of St. Thomas Police Service says they were contacted by a resident on Tuesday who received a suspicious phone call. from someone claiming to be their son.

Police say the caller pretended to be the victim’s son who had been in a collision, and that a “Bailiff” would come by their residence “to collect a large sum of money.”

But the victim wasn’t an easy target for the scammer as they notified police immediately about the phone call.

Police say they tracked the caller and a 19-year-old from Brampton was arrested.

The 19-year-old from Brampton was charged with one count of obtaining a false pretense. Police have not released the name of the accused, who was processed and released on an undertaking with a future court date.

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The arrest comes just one day after an 18-year-old from Brampton was also arrested in a grandparent scam in Stratford. Police say the teen allegedly stole over $12,000 from multiple people before a victim contacted police.

Investigators say grandparent scams are becoming more common across Canada, and police reminding the public that officers will never contact anyone to demand money for the release of an arrested person.