警惕骗局

[SIZE="3"]A new scam is doing the rounds in the capital region as crooks try to con elderly people out of cash by pretending to be either a police officer or a friend of a grandson.

The Fredericton Police Force has issued a public warning about the ongoing fraud scheme.

The way the scam works is a caller telephones a Fredericton resident and identifies his or herself as being a Toronto police officer or a friend of their grandson.

In either case, the caller informs the person that their grandson has been caught for impaired driving and $5,000 will be required before he can be released from custody.

"In the case where someone impersonated a police officer on the telephone, the victim was even permitted to speak to a male who was thought to be the grandson," said Fredericton Police Force spokesman Const. Ralph Currie.

"Unfortunately, in one of these cases, $5,000 was forwarded as per instruction given to the victim.

"The victim later learned that the grandson was not in Ontario and had been in Fredericton the entire time."

In a news release sent out by the police, residents are warned to monitor telephone calls closely, especially when it involves a similar kind of scenario.

"Police advise (residents) should not forward money as requested by the caller," the news release says.

Currie said anyone receiving such a call should seek independent confirmation of the whereabouts of their grandchildren.[/SIZE]