An elderly Austin man was swindled of $9,848 in a money transfer fraud crime.

According to the Austin Police Department, the man, whom police did not identify, was contacted by people who said they were Canadian law enforcement officials.

The callers said the Austin man’s grandson had been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Canada. They requested $5,700 to bail out the grandson and more money for damages to the vehicle he allegedly struck.

The man, 78, sent the money to a Canadian address before learning his grandson had never been in Canada.

When he realized he had been duped, he reported the crime to Austin police.

Detective Brian Krueger warned all not to fall for such schemes and to verify the emergency first before making a money transfer.

Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by such a scheme should call Austin police immediately.