Vancouver police are asking the public to help identify a suspect after another elderly victim was defrauded out of $10,000. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) issued another warning Thursday (July 14) after five people were defrauded out of thousands of dollars. Scammers trick vulnerable seniors into believing their loved ones have been arrested and “convince their victims to hand over thousands of dollars in cash for bail money and other legal fees by frequently calling them on the phone and meeting them at their homes,” he says. Sgt. Steve Addison. The suspect’s photo was taken Wednesday by a victim who became a suspect after a man posing as police convinced her to hand over $10,000 to get her son out of jail. Police believe the man is part of a network of people working together to target vulnerable elderly people in recent scams. “Her gut told her something was wrong, but by the time she realized she’d been duped, she’d already handed over the money,” Addison adds. The suspect is a man in his twenties with a slim build, dark complexion and short curly hair. He was wearing a gray short-sleeved button-down shirt, khaki pants, sunglasses, and a black face mask. The VPD has released a photo of a suspect involved in recent scams in Vancouver targeting seniors after another senior was defrauded of $10,000 on July 13. Vancouver Police Police are asking anyone who can help identify the suspect to call the VPD Financial Crimes Unit at 604-717-0503 and anyone experiencing a crime in progress to call 9-1-1 immediately.
