Police in Saint John are hoping to increase fraud prevention among seniors in the community.
The city’s police force is planning to hold a series of in-person education sessions this year.
Staff Sgt. Sean Rocca said people aged 65 and over are making up a larger percentage of fraud victims.
“We’ve seen many cases involving particularly the grandparents scam, sometimes frauds in the tens of thousands of dollars,” Rocca said in an interview.
Rocca said seniors are often the most vulnerable due to a lack of familiarity with digital platforms and the increasing sophistication of scams.
Two sessions will take place at the Saint John Police Force headquarters from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 and Feb. 27.
Rocca said they are designed to increase awareness about different types of prevalent fraud schemes — such as phone, online, and mail scams — by providing practical strategies for recognizing, preventing, and reporting such fraudulent activities.
“We’re going to have a detective from our Major Crime Unit who specializes in fraud investigations facilitate those in-person sessions,” he said.
Community centres can also request a session in their neighbourhood through the police force’s website.
