Mountie-dressed men try to persuade woman to bail out son

Saanich police are investigating after a 90-year-old woman was harassed by con artists who came to her door dressed as Mounties and tried to persuade her that her son was in trouble.

Sgt. Jereme Leslie said it seems to be a more aggressive version of the “grandparent scam” in which seniors are called by scammers who insist that a relative is in jail and demand money to bail them out.

The Saanich woman received a call July 11 from a man who stated he needed money to deal with her son who was in trouble with the police. The man said if she didn’t comply with the demands, she would be arrested.

The woman hung up, but called back out of concern for her son. A woman answered and transferred her to another line. No one picked up.

About 20 minutes later, two unknown men showed up at the woman’s front door. They said they were RCMP officers and were wearing clothes similar to the RCMP red serge. The woman was told she would be arrested for not complying with the demands for money.

She asked to see identification. When the men could not produce any, she slammed the door.

The woman then called Saanich police and provided a detailed description of the two men.

The first man was Asian, about 30 years old, five-foot-nine or five-foot-10 with a thin build. The second man was white, possibly in his 40s, with a medium build.

Both men were wearing policestyle pants with a bronze stripe on the legs and a jacket similar to the red serge.

Saanich police ask anyone with information on these men to call them at 250-475-4321. Anonymous reports can be made by calling Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).