Nearly $400000 lost to scammers in local county so far this year
Nearly £400,000 lost to scammers in local county so far this year
(CanStockPhoto.com – ababilhot)By Ryan Drury April 4, 2023 9:46am
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With the recent completion of Fraud Prevention Month in March, police continue to warn the public about the pitfalls of scams. The South Bruce OPP shared in a release that nearly £400,000 has been sent to scammers, year-to-date, by residents of Southern Bruce County. Scammers are using technology to reach potential victims via text, email, phone calls, social media, as well as classic methods like mail and fax.
In the last few weeks, police have been notified of two successful scams in South Bruce. One was a “Bitcoin Scam”, otherwise known as a “Cryptocurrency” or “Online Investment Scam” that saw the victim lose £300,000. In another scam, which was an example of the “Grandparent” or “Emergency Scam”, fraudsters called a victim pretending to be a family member who was in a crash and needed emergency cash.
This scam saw fraudsters successfully take almost £5,000 from the victim. Information on how to avoid being the victim of fraud is available on the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre website here: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm. The South Bruce OPP has some tips to avoid fraud, as well, which include:
-If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. -Remember that you can’t win a contest that you didn’t enter in the first place. -If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Do not provide remote access to a “tech” that calls you out of the blue
-Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you and directs you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone.
-Your best defence is to verify any unsolicited contact. Unsolicited means that you didn’t ask for it.
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