Manitoba anti-fraud campaign targets older adults
Global News
More efforts are being made to help prevent older adults from being the victim of a scam. Police, the province, and seniors advocates teaming up to launch a new campaign.
Urgency, panic and fear are all characteristics of grandparent scams.
“Which often causes people to have a blocked sense of reality. They don’t know what to do. They freeze,” Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Const. Dani McKinnon said.
It’s a scheme that impersonates familiar or authoritative voices and can con seniors out of thousands of dollars. It’s also a pressing issue in Manitoba.
The Canadian Anti Fraud Centre found that Manitobans 60 and over reported losing nearly $350,000 in 2024.
“These are under-reported. We get 5-10 per cent of what we actually think is happening out there,” WPS Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said.
Now, the Manitoba government, WPS and seniors support services group A & O are trying to combat this serious issue by launching a new campaign.
“Just Hang Up is aimed at at protecting older adults from financial and emotionally devastating outcomes related to prevalent phone scams,” Dani McKinnon said.
The Manitoba government provided $134,000 from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund to fund this campaign.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposed a tariff-free auto pact with the U.S. to revive Canada’s auto sector, at a press conference in Windsor, Ont. on Sunday.
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