November 18, 2024
Cape Breton Regional Police advise residents of a recurring scam requesting bail money for a family member.
Police are again receiving reports of phone calls from a person identifying themselves as a representative of the legal system and claiming a family member – grandchild, child, niece or nephew – has been arrested and needs money to be released from police custody or to pay legal fees for Court. In some cases, a second person makes arrangements to collect the money in person.
On Friday, November 15th, officers responded to two such calls – one in Glace Bay and one in Sydney – with similar circumstances and descriptions of the person who arrived to attempt to collect money. The suspect is a man approximately 5’ 8” tall with dark slicked back hair and glasses, wearing a black trench coat; he was driving a dark grey or black 4-door car, believed to be a Pontiac Vibe. Anyone with information on this suspect is asked to please call police at 902-563-5151 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
If you receive a call like this, please do not provide any money or confirm any personal or financial information. Please be extremely cautious of these kinds of phishing scams which can result in financial and identity theft. If the call concerns a family member, get in touch with that person to confirm they are not in trouble. You should also verify all text and emails soliciting any kind of personal information, to verify the identify of the individual and/or the legitimacy of the organization. In Canada, law enforcement and Court officials do not attend residences in person to collect money for bail.
All fraudulent activity should be reported to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
