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Grandparent scams have become more common. Thanks to a $134,000 contribution from the Manitoba government’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund (CPF), a new anti-fraud campaign led by the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) in partnership with A&O: Support Services for Older Adults (A&O), Just Hang Up is being launched.
The campaign is aimed at protecting older adults who may be victimized from devastating outcomes.
Launching in March 2026, which is also Fraud Prevention Month, Just Hang Up brings awareness of strategies by sharing information with older adults and their families who may be targeted by these scams.
“Older adults in Manitoba deserve to be safe physically, financially and emotionally,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.
Typically in grandparent scams, after obtaining their phone numbers and sometimes other personal information, the fraudster will call an older adult and impersonate a grandchild or family member in distress and request a sum of money to help them out. During the scams, some fraudsters use artificial intelligence, based on information obtained from social media, public information or data breaches.
In 2024, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said Manitobans reported losing almost $350,000 to these types of scams.
The Just Hang Up campaign encourages Manitobans to hang up early to shut down the scam. This also allows the urgency to diminish and verify the caller.
Online information can be found here as well as city-wide advertising. A public awareness video has been created and can be seen below.
