At least four Manitoba seniors have recently fallen victim to “grandparent scams,” including one case where the person was taken to a bank by a fraudster to withdraw money and another where the scammer went to the home of an elderly person, according to the RCMP.

On Wednesday, RCMP received a report from a resident of Portage la Prairie and another from a person in MacGregor, about 35 kilometers west of Portage, saying they had been contacted by an unknown person claiming to be a lawyer.

In both cases, the caller gave the names of the victims’ grandchildren, who he said were in jail and needed bail. Both victims agreed to provide money.

In the case of Portage la Prairie, a man came to the elderly person’s home to collect the money. The elder MacGregor met the caller at a location on Hampton Street, police said in a news release Friday.

RCMP said they received reports Tuesday of similar scams in Minnedosa — just over 100 kilometers northwest of Portage la Prairie — and Kleefeld, about 100 kilometers southeast of Portage. In both cases, the victims gave the caller a “significant amount of money,” police said.

And on Oct. 24, RCMP in East St. Paul, just northeast of Winnipeg, said a senior citizen was also the target of a similar scam. This person was arrested and taken to a bank by a fraudster who once again claimed that one of his grandchildren was in trouble.

The elder withdrew what police again described as a “large” amount and gave it to the crook.

RCMP said they do not know if these cases are related.

Const. Larry Neufeld of the Portage la Prairie RCMP detachment said the fact that many of the cases involve in-person contact with the fraudsters “is a testament to their ever-increasing confidence in pulling off these scams.”

Grandparent scam perpetrators typically use information from social media and other sites to deceive their victims, Neufeld said in Friday’s news release.

RCMP said they are continuing their investigation and are reminding Manitobans that they should never give money to an unknown person. They encourage anyone who thinks they may have been the target of a scam to report it to the police immediately.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center is also urging people to be wary of phone calls asking them to provide money to a family member in distress. They suggest hanging up and contacting that loved one directly to determine if they are being targeted by a scam.

RCMP are asking anyone with information about any of the latest scams to contact their local RCMP detachment. Anonymous tips can also be provided through Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by visiting www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Victims of cybercrime or fraud can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8501.