It is no secret that there has been an influx of financial crimes against seniors around the globe, including right here in Vancouver where it has frequently made news in recent years. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), victims of these “grandparent scams” across Canada incurred losses totaling approximately $10.1 million in 2022. In the first quarter of 2023, the CAFC reported a 125% year-over-year increase for the same period. And in the Lower Mainland alone, there were 100 reported occurrences of grandparent scams in the first quarter of 2023. Among those, 41 victims lost a total of nearly $400,000.
Fortunately, VPD’s Sergeant Rita Raj and Detective Constable Julie Gilmore have dedicated much of their careers to providing protection for vulnerable seniors across Vancouver. Through their wildly successful Seniors Health and Safety Fairs, and now a Seniors Scam Awareness Program, Rita and Julie have been involved in creating and organizing seniors programs for the past eight years. Typically done off the sides of their desks, they have hundreds of hours raising awareness and advocating for seniors in our community. The enthusiasm these women share for continuously going above and beyond for Vancouver Seniors is truly genuine.
“Having a passion for helping seniors is a wonderful and meaningful pursuit,” says Rita. “Seniors often face unique challenges as they age, including social isolation, changes in their living situations, change in their financial independence. Our desire is to make positive impact on their lives.”
Senior Health & Safety Fair
Their first significant initiative, the VPD Senior Health & Safety Fair (SHSF), was held in 2018, and then again in 2022. Based on their experience previously helping victimized seniors, they created a team and executed this full-day event with the goal of being a one-stop information and self-help venue to educate and target harden seniors. With funding support from the Vancouver Police Foundation, it was a very significant undertaking, but a true labour of love for both women.
Rita, Julie and their team invited and coordinated 50 community stakeholders to attend the SHSF including the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health, Office of the Senior’s Advocacy, Pacific Autism Family Network, Transit Police, Vancouver Fire, and many more. Among these stakeholders was also the VPD itself, with several specialty units in attendance including the Financial Crime Unit, Elder Abuse Unit, Victim Services, Community Policing Centre, Women’s Personal Safety Team, Odd Squad, and others.
“The community partners and police members provided the seniors in attendance with the knowledge required to make them less vulnerable to frauds and schemes,” explains Julie. “All attendees were also provided important safety tips and strategies they can put in place while they go about their everyday lives.”
By engaging so many community partners in these events, seniors also left with a greater understanding of the wide range of services that are available to them in a time of need.
And while one may think that the information at these fairs was only being shared in one direction, it was also an important opportunity for Rita, Julie and the other VPD Units, as well as all the community partners, to learn from the seniors in attendance. Each of these agencies took away important insight as to how they can better support, prevent, and respond to specific vulnerabilities in seniors.
“By closely interacting with seniors at these fairs, we all became better informed about the particular vulnerabilities of the senior community,” adds Julie.
Based on their incredible efforts, Rita, Julie and their team hosted over 800 seniors across the two Senior Health & Safety Fairs.
Scam Prevention for Seniors
Rita and Julie are once again leading further support for vulnerable seniors through their new Scam Prevention for Seniors program. Due to the significant rise in financial scams against seniors, the pair personally engaged in in-depth research to learn how to get essential information most efficiently and effectively about financial scams to seniors in Vancouver.
“We reached out and interviewed our community stakeholders, seniors, care home staff and seniors groups to learn how we can reach more seniors with this critical information,” says Rita. “Based on our research, we partnered with Bail Money Scams organizers Constable Mariya Zhalovaga and Acting Sergeant Rob Dairon to create and launch the Scam Prevention for Seniors program.
This new initiative is a robust awareness campaign aimed at educating seniors and their loved ones about financial scams. Rita and Julie, and their dedicated team of volunteers, are taking this program on the road starting this fall 2023. “The goal of these information sessions is to empower seniors so they can protect themselves by being able to identify criminal strategies that could be used to defraud them,” explains Rita.
These Scam Prevention for Seniors seminars will cover a range of topics, including financial crime, grandchild bail scams, distraction thefts, and cybercrimes scams. The presentations will be interactive and will involve real-life examples and case studies that can effectively illustrate the tactics used by criminals.
They will share practical tips and safety measures seniors can implement to safeguard their financial information and assets. This invaluable advice could include setting up strong passwords, monitoring bank statements, and avoiding sharing personal information online. They will also discuss the common red flags of financial scams. By understanding the warning signs, seniors can be better equipped to detect suspicious activities and protect themselves. The information will also encourage open discussions and the sharing of personal experiences, which can help prevent isolation and build support networks.
“We will also be providing seniors with resources, such as contact information for reporting scams and fraud, which better equips them to take action when they suspect they’ve been targeted. Knowing where to turn for help is essential,” adds Rita.
“Educating seniors isn’t about fostering fear but empowering them with knowledge. The goal is to enable them to make informed decisions that protect their financial well-being and independence,” explains Julie. “Part of our message is that we are here for them, and we genuinely want to give them the tools to protect themselves.”
All attendees receive lunch or snacks, depending on the time of day. In addition, they will be provided printed materials, and will have an opportunity participate in a robust question and answer period on the topic of crimes against seniors. Seminars typically last between two to three hours.
The Scam Prevention for Seniors Information sessions are free to all Vancouver community members and residents. The team of presenters is diverse and can speak multiple languages so presentations can be customized to the language required for that location or neighbourhood.
“Teamwork is instrumental to the success of any program or initiative,” explains Rita. “We have over 25 dedicated police officers and professional staff from diverse backgrounds who speak a multitude of languages who are well versed in these types of crimes targeting seniors.”
Rita and Julie are taking this program on the road, collaborating with senior centers, retirement communities, and seniors groups as they can in order to reach a wider audience across Vancouver. Partnerships like these enhance the reach of educational programs and ensure that the information reaches those who need it the most. So far, they’ve conducted two successful presentations: one in Cantonese at SUCCESS in Chinatown, and the other in English at the Killarney Community Centre. In addition, they’ve received an overwhelming number of requests for future presentation and already have more than a dozen upcoming seminars scheduled at various locations across Vancouver.
If you are interested in having the VPD Scam Prevention team present to a group of 50 or more people at your chosen location, please email Sgt. Rita Raj at rita.raj@vpd.ca to get more information and/or to confirm a presentation date.
Rita began her career in 2008 with the Delta PD before transferring to VPD in 2010. Rita worked in front-line operations/patrol for over eight years, and spent time as a Detective Constable in the Sex Crimes Unit before joining the Major Crime Section Robbery Assault & Arson Unit in 2018, where she led numerous high profile and complex investigations. Rita has field trained, coached and mentored new members in operations and investigative divisions. Rita is a facilitator and assessor and works closely with the training unit. She is currently a Sergeant seconded to the Real Time Intelligence Centre for the Province. There she leads an integrated multi-jurisdiction team consisting of RCMP officers and Intelligence Analysts who gather and disseminate information to front line officers around the Province in real time to enhance public safety. Rita is also a member of the Grandparent Scam working group for Canada.
“So far we have reached over 1,200 seniors, arming them with the knowledge and information necessary to prevent them from becoming victims of crime. We would like to continue to raise awareness and support the generation that raised and supported us,” says Rita.
Julie has been with the VPD since 2009 and has had a very similar path to Rita, having spent eight years in front-line operations/patrol before moving to the Sex Crimes Unit as a Detective Constable. She has also led many high profile investigations in her current role as a Detective Constable in the Major Crimes Section. Julie is a member of the Grandparents Scam working group for Canada. She is also a very active volunteer in her community, including coordinating a local gardening program, and assisting with several children’s programs.
“We want nothing more than to educate and protect Vancouver’s seniors. We owe it to this generation to take care of them for everything they’ve done for us,” adds Julie.
The Vancouver Police Foundation supports programs and initiatives that fall under one of four pillars: Youth Programs, Mental Health & Addictions, Community Outreach & Engagement, and Technology & Special Equipment. You can help build a safer Vancouver by donating to the Vancouver Police Foundation.
