Police warn seniors to beware of scam that's stolen $1,000s in cash in Halifax area

Police are warning people in the Halifax Regional Municipality about a scam targeting seniors that has already stolen thousands of dollars from victims.

Police say the scam usually starts with a phone call from someone posing as a friend or relative who's been arrested and jailed.

"And then, at that point, they get on the phone with someone else, maybe a lawyer or whatever who they pretend to be, in order to get them to pay money to have their loved one released from custody," Const. John MacLeod of Halifax Regional Police said Wednesday.

"They work on urgency, they try and get people scared, they try and tell them it's super urgent, they have to act immediately," MacLeod added.

In a release, members of the RCMP, HRP Integrated Criminal Investigation Division said there have been several incidents over the last few days and each victim was scammed out of between $5,000 and $10,000.

The money is supposed to pay bail for the jailed relative. In the recent cases, someone posing as a bail bondsman has been sent to collect the money. Police have released a photo of the suspect and a vehicle, possibly a 2019 Toyota Corolla, that they're searching for in connection with one of the incidents.

MacLeod says the best advice police can offer is that people take the time to verify what they're being told and not be rushed into paying any money.

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