The grandparent phone scam is hitting the area. 

Strathmore resident, Tayna Tarvyd, told StrathmoreNow that scammers recently tried to take money from her mom. 

"My mother phoned me and asked me if I had heard from my son recently because there had been an accident. I said no, but I did receive a text from him an hour before so I knew he was fine. For me, that was a red flag."

Tarvyd verified her son was ok. 

"I then called back my mother and said 'Mom this is a scam don't give any money,'" she said.

The scammer phoned Tarvyd's mother a couple of times, in one instance the caller claimed to be a lawyer regarding the 'accident'.

"The lawyer call was when they decided to ask for $5,000. Obviously, my mother didn't give them the money, but this morning (Nov. 10) they called again and claimed to be the lawyer again. My mom hung up right away which was a good thing." 

Tarvyd went to the police station to see if there was anything that they could do. Police told her this has been happening to multiple people in the community.

"I want to make people aware of it so they can protect themselves."

Here are some tips from the Strathmore RCMP to keep in mind when you suspect you may be talking to a scammer:

  • Never give out any personal information.
  • Don’t send any money to anyone you don't know.
  • If you receive a call from someone claiming they are with the RCMP, get as much information on the person you are speaking to as possible and then call the police department.
  • Be careful about what you share on social media.
  • Do your research, in regards to common scams.

The best advice is to 'trust your gut' and 'if it's too good to be true, it usually is'.

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