: Residents of at least two Brandon retirement homes were targeted last week by telephone fraud artists using the old “emergency scam” story.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre (Phonebusters) calls it the “grandparent scam” and say it has been around for years. However, Phonebusters says there has been a marked increase in the number of complaints the last two months.

Cheryl Holmes, executive director of Victoria Landing, said upwards of 40 residents at the Victoria Avenue retirement home were contacted by a man claiming to be their grandson, who, the tale claims, has been at a wedding in Montreal (or Vancouver, or Toronto) and has wound up in some kind of trouble, usually a car accident. They need money immediately, of course.

Rose Marie Strueby, acting manager at Riverheights Terrace, said one of the residents at the west end facility was called by the scammers Friday morning. “We’d been alerted by our head office just the day before to watch out for these calls,” said Strueby. “So we had announced it to everybody Thursday night.”

Phonebusters say that victims often don’t verify the story until after the money has been sent because the caller specifically asks that they do not want other relatives to know what has happened.

They’ll say, “But don’t tell Dad. He would kill me if he found out. Please send the money as soon as possible. I’m scared.”

The scam artists suggest the money could be sent by Money Gram or Western Union.

In one incident reported by a Victoria Landing resident, the caller asked for $3,200 for vehicle repairs following a post-wedding accident in Montreal. When the potential victim demurred, the caller said he would have “his lawyer” call back in about 10 minutes to help facilitate the movement of money.

“The lawyer never called back,” said the 91-year-old woman.

The next day, however, she received another call. The script was nearly identical, except the city was now Vancouver. “I hung up right away,” she said.

 Phonebusters is a national call centre where victims can report fraud complaints. The information is used to assist in investigations.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre plays a key role in educating the public about specific fraudulent mass marketing and identity theft pitches. It also helps to prevent similar crimes from taking place in the future through its ability to identify emerging trends.