A caller says your grandchild is in jail and needs bail money — send cash by courier or e-Transfer today
A caller pretends to be your grandchild (or a lawyer or bail bondsman calling on their behalf) claiming they've been arrested, hurt in an accident, or held at the border and need bail money urgently. Payment demanded by cash-in-envelope courier pickup, Interac e-Transfer, or gift cards. Increasingly, AI voice cloning is used to mimic the real grandchild's voice.
Also known as: grandparent scam Canada, fake bail money scam, AI voice clone grandchild scam, emergency scam CAFC
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Hang up and call your grandchild directly on their known number — or call their parents. Real emergencies survive a 60-second callback
- 2 Agree on a family code word today with your grandchildren and adult children — any real emergency call must include it
- 3 Never send cash by courier. No legitimate lawyer, court, or police service ever collects bail money this way
- 4 If you already sent Interac e-Transfer: call your bank immediately — if unaccepted, it can sometimes be cancelled
- 5 If you already handed cash to a courier: call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police — the courier company logs may help investigators trace the pickup
- 6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.
Red flags
- ⚠ The caller (or 'lawyer') insists you tell no one — especially not the child's parents, 'to avoid embarrassment' or 'court gag order'
- ⚠ The 'grandchild' sounds slightly off but explains the odd voice with 'I have a broken nose', 'I've been crying', or coughing
- ⚠ You are asked to send cash by courier — someone will come to your door within the hour to pick up an envelope
- ⚠ Payment demanded by Interac e-Transfer to an unknown personal email, or by gift cards, or by wire through a fake 'bail bondsman'
- ⚠ The amounts escalate — 'bail was set at $5,000 but the lawyer needs another $3,000 for a translator'
- ⚠ The AI-cloned voice may be trained from social media clips — Facebook birthday videos, TikTok, LinkedIn talks
Known variants
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AI voice-clone variant: scammer uses a short audio clip of the real grandchild's voice (from social media) to make an AI-generated recording of them crying, distressed, or begging for help — indistinguishable from the real voice for many older listeners. Followed immediately by a 'lawyer' or 'officer' taking over the call.
Last seen: 6/25/2026