Seniors lost $4.2M to grandparent scams this year. Here's how one Ontario man had $8,000 stolen

When the phone rang, Stuart Irvine of Mississauga, Ont., wasn’t sure who was on the other end of the line, but then a voice said, “Grampy, it’s me.”

Irvine said “That’s when I thought ‘That sounds like my grandson Cody,’ so I stupidly said ‘Cody is that you?’ And that’s all they needed.”

Irvine says he was told his grandson needed bail money after narcotics were found in his friend's car. Irvine also says he was told not to tell any other family members or friends as there was a gag order in the case.

He said he was directed to get $8,000 cash from the bank and a courier would come to his home to pick up the money.

That’s when Irvine said he decided to call his grandson Cody directly.

“I said to him, ‘Were you downtown yesterday?’ and he said, ‘No. Was I supposed to be?’ That's when the thunder roared and the crash came and I thought ‘I’ve been had.’"

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), the grandparent scam is now rampant across the country as criminals take advantage of grandparents and their love for their grandchildren.

“It's difficult to say why we are seeing such an increase because reporting (of the grandparent emergency scam) is on pace to nearly double this year,” Jeff Horncastle with communications at CAFC told CTV News Toronto.

CAFC said that Canadians lost $2.4 million to the grandparent and emergency scam in 2021, however, that number has almost doubled to $4.2 million already in 2022.

Irvine said looking back something didn’t feel right and he wishes he would have followed his instincts.

“In my mind I was constantly thinking this could be a scam. But I didn't have the guts to stop it because I was thinking of my grandson" said Irvine.

The CAFC advises to be suspicious of calls that demand immediate action, remember law enforcement officers will not seek immediate payment, never send money to anyone under uncertain conditions and that if the situation doesn’t feel right don’t be afraid to say no.

Irvine says he wanted to share what happened to him to warn other grandparents and wants to remind them to never be the first to say their grandchild's name. If called, Irvine says to ask questions only your family members would know such as the name of a family pet, a siblings name or where you spend the holidays.

“I would say it's the worst thing that has happened with money in my life," he said.