Vancouver residents lost over $700,000 to 'network of scammers' in 2022

Photo: @VancouverPD/Twitter.

Vancouverites lost over $700,000 combined to a bail money scam in 2022. 

The Vancouver Police Department shared on Thursday that 56 victims handed over cash for fictitious bail money last year alone.

The most amount of money handed over was $123,468 on Aug. 2.

"If someone claiming to be police or a family member phones asking for bail money, it's a scam," the VPD says. 

"We’ve had some success in identifying and arresting suspects, but because most people don’t realize they’ve been scammed until several hours, or even days later, gathering evidence and recovering money is extremely difficult," Sgt. Steve Addison said. 

Police encourage the public to talk with family members about the scam to make sure no one else is victimized.