(Photos of a female suspect in the so-called "emergency" or "grandparents" scam courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)(Photos of a female suspect in the so-called "emergency" or "grandparents" scam courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)
Windsor

OPP raise alarm about uptick in fraud in Essex County

The Ontario Provincial Police is very concerned about a sharp rise in fraud cases in the past few days.

Since Monday, police officers have responded to 14 separate incidents.

Just two of them added up to a financial loss of $15,000.

All of them are what police have dubbed the "grandparent" or "emergency" scam.

In each case, the victim got a call from someone representing a family member who was in police custody and needed money to post bail.

Police do have an image of a female suspect wanted in two of the incidents where the victims handed over the cash. She left the area in a silver minivan.

(Photo of a female suspect in the so-called (Photo of a female suspect in the so-called "emergency" or "grandparents" scam courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)

(Photo of a female suspect in the so-called (Photo of a female suspect in the so-called "emergency" or "grandparents" scam courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)

(A minivan driven by a fraud suspect courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)(A minivan driven by a fraud suspect courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)

Investigators hope someone will recognize the woman and call them at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tips can be left online at www.catchcrooks.com.

The investigation is ongoing.

On Thursday, a Windsor woman received a similar call from someone who said he was her grandson. She recognized the scam for what it was and called the police. They charged a 19-year-old Windsor man and a 22-year-old man from Tecumseh.

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