How an Oakville couple was scammed out of $10K by a man pretending to be their professional lacrosse-playing grandson

The grandmother of the professional lacrosse player. james barclay he has always been wary of scams.

After her husband was scammed in the past, she thought she would be able to tell if someone was trying to scam her. “I thought she would never happen to us again,” the woman said.

But it turned out that she was wrong.

Last week, the 87-year-old woman and her husband were attacked by someone posing as their grandson and asking for bail money.

The Oakville couple is just one of many grandparents in the Greater Toronto Area who have fallen victim to those whose modus operandi is to use the affection and love of seniors for their grandchildren to swindle them out of thousands of dollars.

Several police services in the region have warned of a rise in grandparent scams, sometimes called “emergency scams,” this year. in the york regionPolice said that between August 4 and 11, 13 incidents were reported that resulted in a loss of more than $50,000.

While law enforcement services have made arrests in connection with the scam, those involved in the scheme seem undeterred.

Speaking to CP24.com on condition of anonymity, Barclay’s grandmother described in detail how the scammers were able to trick her and her husband into handing over $10,000 in cash.

It happened on August 22. She received a call from an unknown number that Monday morning. The 87-year-old woman said something felt off as soon as she answered the phone because of how she was greeted by the person on the other end of the line.

“Hello Grandma.”

The greeting perplexed the 87-year-old man. Her eight grandchildren never referred to her as “grandma.” She noted that she has always been called “nan” or “babysitter”.

“It was very suspicious,” he said. When she asked the man who she was, the man said that she was her grandson. Still suspicious, the woman said she told the man that she didn’t sound like her grandson.

She remembered the man, who will be referred to as the fake James in the story, making up an excuse to get a throat swab for a COVID-19 test, so her voice was a little different.

Although the woman was still not entirely convinced, she gave the phone to her husband following the instructions of the fake James. The woman herself stayed by her husband’s side to see what the man wanted.

The fake James, the woman recounted, later told them that he and his friend named Steven were driving when police pulled them over and arrested them for the “enormous amount” of marijuana found in their car.

He later asked them to post the $10,000 needed for bail, the woman said.

“We both almost passed out,” he said, adding that the fake James requested that the cash be sent before the end of that day.

“He said, ‘If I don’t give it by a certain time tonight, they’ll have no choice but to book me. Once it’s booked, it’s open for the world to see,'” the woman said. remembered.

At that moment, all the couple could think about was the future of their grandson.

“James is a professional athlete and he has an amazing job. The last thing we wanted was for James’ name to appear in the newspapers for being involved in drugs,” the woman said.

Barclay plays in the National Lacrosse League (Las Vegas Desert Dogs) and the Premier Lacrosse League (Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club).

“So we just did what we could,” he said, though, at the time, they had no idea where to get the money. The woman added that the fake James also warned them not to tell anyone else about the situation or she would get into more trouble.

Without a source of cash, the 87-year-old said she decided to take her jewelry and other items she inherited to Oliver Jewellery. She recalled that she was handed $10,000, all in $100 bills.

“I kept my engagement ring and my wedding ring. I took everything I was wearing, everything, and handed it over to her,” she said.

After receiving the money, the woman said they received instructions on where to put it. They were told to place the cash on the center page of a magazine, seal it, and put it inside a white envelope with their husband’s name along with the judge’s name and case number, all made up by the scammers. .

They were then told that a court official would come to their house to collect the money, which did not sit well with them. She said that she and her husband insisted on handing over the money so they could see her grandson, but the scammers stood their ground, making excuses like the courthouse was a two-hour drive away.

She said that James was fake and then assured them that they could trust the person who would collect the money. The woman said that she was becoming more skeptical, but all she could think about at that moment was her grandson.

“In the back of my mind, what is my choice? I don’t give the money and James’s life will be ruined forever. Give the money and it may be wrong, but isn’t it better that at least James is okay?” , said. looking back on his decision.

“Starting a career and doing so well at everything he does and destroying it overnight would have been horrible. So the choice was there was no other option.”

A short time later, a man, whom the woman described as wearing a neat, well-fitting hoodie and a mask, came to her home to collect the $10,000. Sensing something wasn’t right, the woman said she blurted out, “I think this is a scam.”

She said the man denied it as expected. In the end, ensuring the safety of her grandson prevailed over her doubts and intuitions, so she handed over the cash.

Before leaving, the man informed her that the fake James would call her in a few minutes. After 25 minutes without saying a word, the woman dialed her grandson’s number to make sure she wasn’t there.

But instead of relief, he would soon discover that his suspicions were correct.

The real James Barclay was finishing work when his grandmother called that Monday afternoon. In addition to being a professional lacrosse player, Barclay also works as an account executive for a software company.

“I answered the phone and immediately she asked me, ‘James, are you okay?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Why? What’s going on?'” Barclay told CP24.com, recalling her conversation with her grandmother. “She says, ‘Are you in jail?'”

Barclay replied, “No, I’m not in jail.” At that moment, she said, his grandmother immediately realized what had happened.

She had been swindled.

As she recounted what happened to her, the scammers called her grandmother and thanked her for the money.

Barclay said her grandmother put that call on speaker so she could hear them. He recorded a part of the call when his annoying grandmother confronted the scammer.

Scammer/Fake James (FJ): This is James. Thank you very much.

Barclay’s Grandma (BG): You don’t sound like James.

FJ: What do you mean?

BG: What is your middle name? Jaime who?

FJ: What?! What do you mean?

BG: Well, I want to know your full name.

FJ: Are you okay?

BG: No!

FJ: What’s up?

BG: Well tell me your full name, James.

FJ: You know my full name.

BG: I’m asking for your full name

FJ: I can’t… what? I can not hear you.

BG: I want your full name, James.

FJ: Can I call you back in a few minutes and give you everything?

BG: No! You must know your full name.

FJ: Yeah, but I can’t hear what you’re saying. Can I call you back in 10 minutes, please?

BG: Well, it doesn’t matter if you can’t… You can hear me. You can hear me speak. I’m asking you what your name is.

Frustrated with the scammer, Barclay’s grandmother hung up the call.

“I felt such an idiot,” the woman said. She believes that the people responsible for the scam were the same people who called her a few days earlier.

The woman recalled receiving a call three days before the incident from someone who offered to check her oven. She said she was asked if she was over 80 years old. It seemed strange to her, but she accepted the offer and made an appointment. But no one ever came.

“It bothers me now that I was so stupid,” the woman said.

The scam has been reported to Halton Regional Police. CP24 has contacted Halton Police for an update on the case.

As for the jewelry, Barclay said the family was able to retrieve it from the store. He added that he is still stunned by what happened to his grandparents.

“I can’t believe they have the audacity to do something like that in the first place and that they like the risk involved in their part. I’m happy to know that my grandparents weren’t harmed,” he said. adding that her grandparents did not deserve to go through such a traumatic experience.

“Losing the money is one thing, but I think she’s very proud, and she’s very alert and witty and smart,” Barclay said. “She’s really upset with herself and a little depressed with herself for what happened.”

He said that a small part of him feels guilty about what happened because his identity was used to trick his grandparents.

“It’s gross,” Barclay said. “Like, I can’t believe I was listening to the guy pretending to be me on the phone.”

Barclay and his grandmother hope that by sharing their experience it won’t happen to others.

As for her advice, Barclay’s grandmother said, “If someone calls claiming to be your grandson, immediately ask them to say their full name.”

She believes that the scammers would not have been able to proceed with their scheme because they did not know her grandson’s full name.

“You have to ask questions.”


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