In Lesson 3, your AI app helped you write a warm, tidy message in seconds. Criminals have the same kind of tool. They use it to write flawless messages and to imitate a voice from a short recording.
So a familiar voice or a polished message no longer proves who is contacting you. This lesson gives you one routine that works anyway: pause, hang up, call back.
The “grandparent” call, step by step
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre calls this an emergency fraud, or grandparent fraud. It can target anyone, not only grandparents.
It often runs like this:
- The phone rings. A voice that sounds like a grandchild or relative says they are in trouble. It may be an arrest, a car accident or trouble getting home from another country.
- A second caller may join in, claiming to be a police officer or a lawyer.
- They push you to act right away. They may say a “gag order” (a court order to stay silent) forbids you from telling anyone.
- They ask for money in an odd way. It may be cash for a courier (a delivery person) or cash in the mail. It may be gift cards or cryptocurrency, a kind of digital money.
The voice may sound exactly right. The RCMP has warned that scammers may use AI-made voices to pose as a loved one. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security says criminals use AI and short audio samples to imitate a voice.
You do not have to judge the voice. The warning signs do that.
Three warning signs that do not change
These three signs are hard to hide. They apply to calls, texts and emails.
- Hurry. “Right now.” “Today.” “Before the bank closes.”
- Secrecy. “Don't tell Mom.” “You are not allowed to talk about this.”
- An unusual way to pay, or a request for a code. Gift cards, cash for a courier, or cryptocurrency. Or a request for a PIN, a password, access to your device or a one-time code. (A one-time code is the short number a bank texts you.)
A new phone number is a fourth clue. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes messages that say, in effect, “My phone broke, here is my new number.”
One sign is enough. You do not need to be sure before you act.
One routine for every case: pause, hang up, call back
- Pause. Take one slow breath. Agree to nothing.
- Hang up, or do not reply. You do not owe the caller a reason. Ending the call is not rude.
- Call back on a number you already have. Use your address book, your contacts list or the back of your bank card. Never use a number the caller or the message gives you.
A real emergency can wait five minutes for a check. A real grandchild will understand.
The number on your screen can be faked. The CRTC, Canada's telecom regulator, calls this caller ID spoofing.
If the caller claims to be police, hang up and call your local police yourself. In Toronto, the police non-emergency line is 416-808-2222. From a mobile phone, you can also dial *877 (*TPS). Elsewhere, look up the number on your police service's own website. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Add a family code word. The RCMP suggests one, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security suggests a shared word or code. Agree on it in person or by phone. Never put it in a text, an email or an AI app. You can also ask a question only the real person could answer.
Messages that look official
Some texts and emails pose as a bank, the tax agency, a delivery company or “tech support”. Get Cyber Safe, a Government of Canada site, explains these fake emails (phishing) and fake texts (smishing).
Do not tap the link, and do not call the number in the message. Open the official app, type the web address yourself, or call the number on your card.
Here is what real organizations say they will never do:
- Police and courts. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says Canada's justice system does not allow bail to be paid with cash or cryptocurrency. The RCMP says police and court agencies will never phone you to demand cash or any other payment. Halton Regional Police say a court or law office will never send someone to your home to collect cash.
- The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The CRA says it will not demand immediate payment by gift card or cryptocurrency. The same goes for prepaid credit cards and Interac e-Transfer. It will not threaten to arrest you.
- Banks. The Canadian Bankers Association says a bank will never call, email or text to ask for a password or a one-time passcode. It will not ask for remote access, which means control of your phone or computer from somewhere else. It will never ask you to withdraw money or hand over your card and PIN for an “investigation”. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns that scammers may ask you to move money to a “safe” account. If you hear that, hang up and call the number on your card.
What your AI app can and cannot do
Your AI app can list warning signs, explain a word and help you rehearse what to say.
It cannot tell you that a message is safe. It does not know who sent it, and it can be wrong while sounding sure. When in doubt, the routine decides, not the app.
An AI app is not a doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.
The three ground rules:
- Keep private numbers out.
- Check anything that matters.
- It is not your doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.
If you have already sent money or shared a code, call your bank on the number on your card. Then call your local police. You can also report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. The line is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Eastern time, and closed on holidays. Fraud is a crime against you, not a failing. Lesson 7 covers reporting step by step.
Try it: Spot the signs and write your hang-up line (about 10 minutes, phone or tablet)
- Open your AI app. Copy the first practice box below this exercise and paste it into the app. It holds a made-up message and a question. If you prefer, read this message aloud instead: “Hi Grandma, it's Jamie. I dropped my phone in the lake, so this is my new number: 416-555-0142. Please delete the old one. I'm in some trouble and I need $900 today, before 3 o'clock. Can you buy gift cards and text me photos of the codes on the back? Please don't tell Mom or Dad. I'll explain later. Love you.”
- If you read it aloud, add this question: “What are the warning signs in this message, and what should I do?” Then send it. The message is invented, so it holds nothing personal.
- Compare the app's answer with this lesson. Did it catch the hurry (today, before 3 o'clock), the secrecy (don't tell Mom or Dad) and the unusual payment (gift cards and codes)? Did it notice the new number? Did it tell you to call back on a number you already have? If it missed one, you caught something the app did not.
- Ask: “Write two calm sentences I can say to end a suspicious phone call, even if the caller sounds like someone I love.”
- Ask: “Shorter, please.” Change a word or two so it sounds like you. Then say your line aloud twice.
- Write your line on paper and keep it near the phone. Your win for today: a line ready, so you never have to think of one under pressure.
- Two reminders. Choose your family code word with your family in person or by phone, never in the app. Do not paste real messages you have received. Use the practice one.
Prompts you can copy
Practice message and first question (made up, ready to paste)
Your hang-up line
Rehearse ending a pressure call
Warning signs in plain words
Before you move on
Sources checked for this lesson: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Emergency • Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Emergency-grandparent scam • Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Impersonation • Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Report fraud and cybercrime • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Yukon): Yukoners, we need you to talk about fraud with your family, friends and neighbors • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (British Columbia): Fraudulent call for help from family members • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Hope, B.C.): Hope RCMP warn public of fraudsters targeting seniors with "Grandparent Scam" • Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: What is voice phishing (vishing)? - ITSAP.00.102 • Halton Regional Police Service: Grandparent Scam • Canada Revenue Agency: Scams and fraud - CRA - Recognize a scam • Canadian Bankers Association: Spot scams before they happen: what your bank will NEVER ask • Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC): Caller ID Spoofing • Get Cyber Safe: Phishing: Don't get reeled in • Get Cyber Safe: Smishing: An introduction • Toronto Police Service: 416-808-2222 (*8-7-7) Non-Emergency • City of Toronto: Make the Right Call