Hamilton police are asking the public to be vigilant as the service reports an increase in “grandparent” and “emergency” scam calls in the area.

The scam begins after the victim receives a call from a person posing as their grandchild or other family member who claims they have been arrested and need bail money or emergency financial help, police said in a news release issued Tuesday.

Investigators said the “fraudsters” will ask the victim to keep the call private and not alert other family members about the fake situation. In some instances, the fraudster will even pass the phone to an accomplice pretending to be a lawyer or law enforcement official, according to police.

At that point, police said the victim is told to send money to a bank account or via courier to an address.

This isn’t the first time Hamilton police have issued a news release regarding an uptick in scam calls. Back in November, the service reported a marked increase in the number of people falling victim to the ruse.

And the problem isn’t unique to Hamilton either.

In January, Toronto police issued a similar warning saying they too had seen a spike in the so-called grandparent scam. At least one arrest was made in connection with that investigation after police charged Nikolaos Antonopoulos, 24, of Quebec with five counts of fraud over $5,000.

Police allege Antonopoulos defrauded his victims out of $42,900 in total.

In an effort to keep residents safe amid the increase in calls, Hamilton police have outlined several tips to prevent falling victim to the scam:

• Be suspicious of calls that demand money or immediate action.

• No law enforcement agency will demand immediate payment of currency.

• Never offer information to the caller.

• If the fraudster asks a question like "Do you know who this is?”, simply say no and have them tell you.

• Contact another family member to confirm the story.

• Remember to never send money to someone under uncertain conditions.

• Don't be afraid to say "No".

If you believe you have fallen victim to the scam in Hamilton, contact police at 905-546-4925.