West Shore RCMP are reminding the public that cash and cryptocurrency cannot be used to bail out a person from jail, after another incident involving the bail-money scam was reported in the region.
In the scam, fraudsters pose as a police officer and a family member asking for “bail money” to get an individual out of jail.
In B.C., anyone kept in police custody is entitled to a judicial interim release, which is handled in court, not over the phone or with in-person cash pickups.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says information used by scammers in “bail money” scams is often gleaned from social-media platforms and dating sites.
In what’s also known as the emergency or grandparent scam, the scammer poses as a trusted figure with an urgent money request due to an arrest or another distressing situation.
The scammer will often pressure victims to act quickly and to avoid telling anyone about what is going on.
The anti-fraud centre recommends hanging up and redialing using an existing phone contact number when faced with a call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation.
Caller ID and phone numbers can be spoofed or disguised by technology and cannot be trusted, the centre said.
