When it comes to scams, seniors are often targeted.

One of the more insidious types of scams is the charity scam. Instead of playing on the desire for a quick buck, as in many investment frauds, a charity scam plays on empathy and a desire to help 鈥� it鈥檚 especially popular during the Christmas season.

鈥淭hose kind of things are despicable,鈥� said Cpl. Craig Van Herk, spokesperson for the 91原创 RCMP.

Fortunately, officers and civilian staff with the local detachment have plenty of resources to help seniors 鈥� both those who are worried they could be scammed, and those who already have been.

鈥淥ur community policing section (CPS) is here for the community, and seniors are an important part of the community,鈥� Van Herk said.

One of those CPS officers is Const. Peter Mann, who will be meeting with a local seniors group in the coming months to give a presentation on fraud and how to avoid it.

Mann and other CPS officers are available for meeting with groups of local seniors to talk about fraud and other issues.

鈥淲hen COVID was going on, I would do a monthly phone-in,鈥� Mann said.

Also on the front lines helping seniors as part of her duties is Cpl. Valerie Conroy, a member of the police mental health liaison unit.

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鈥淲e鈥檒l get involved when a senior is needing some support,鈥� Conroy said, noting that can include looking into cases of financial abuse, which has some overlap with scams and frauds.

With the holidays approaching, it may seem normal to get calls, emails, or even people at the door asking for donations and appearing to be from legitimate charities, Van Herk said.

鈥淭hese fraudsters aren鈥檛 always bold and obvious,鈥� said Van Herk. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e sometimes very subtle.鈥�

If in doubt about whether or not those asking for a donation are from a legitimate charity, Van Herk said there is a simple answer 鈥� don鈥檛 give right away.

As someone who has been involved in raising funds for charities, including the Canadian Cancer Society鈥檚 Cops for Cancer ride, Van Herk said that a real charity will never object to getting a donation in a few days or weeks. The need is always there for real charities.

鈥淣othing is a rush,鈥� he emphasized.

That extra time can allow seniors to check into whether the charity is legitimate.

鈥淕et those links directly from a trusted source,鈥� said Van Herk.

Seniors can talk to their children or grandchildren, friends, neighbours, and even local RCMP, if they鈥檙e in doubt.

The 91原创 RCMP victim services organization has a lot of info on scams, and can be contacted at 604-532-3214. They can email information, or even print it out and mail it to seniors who don鈥檛 use computers.

In the case of people going door-to-door, which is rare but not unheard of for legitimate charities, if there鈥檚 any suspicion at all, seniors can call the 91原创 RCMP non-emergency number at 604-532-3200.

With many phone and internet scams, it鈥檚 impossible to catch the perpetrators or get any money back 鈥� the scammers are often overseas, Van Herk said. But if someone is door knocking for donations, officers can check them out, and either confirm that they鈥檙e legitimate, or start an investigation if they aren鈥檛.