(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment investigated an incident after receiving a complaint from a resident at a Norfolk County, Ontario address.
On Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at approximately 7:33 p.m., the Norfolk County OPP was contacted by a concerned elderly resident regarding a phone call that was received at their residence. The homeowner indicated that they received a call from a male claiming to be a police officer from Quebec.
The male indicated that their son had been involved in a collision and money was required to pay for the damages. The male informed the resident that their son was currently in custody at the police station and needed the necessary funds before he was allowed to leave.
A second phone call was then received from a male who identified himself as a lawyer from Toronto, Ontario representing their son. During the course of this conversation, funds were again requested in order to ensure that the victim’s son was released from jail.
Approximately $10,000 dollars was forwarded through the use of a carrier service to an address in Quebec.
The OPP are reminding all Norfolk County residents to be extremely vigilant and to be alert for unsolicited calls, emails, faxes or visitors that arrive at your residence.
If anyone should receive a call in this manner, please contact your immediate family and inquire if anyone is in need of assistance. Please do not forward any funds without speaking to family members first.
Modern, tech savvy, scammers have personal information about before they ever try to contact you. It is imperative to verify any unsolicited contact before you respond and provide information. Keep your guard up when you receive a surprise call from anyone soliciting funds and indicating that a loved one is in jail or have been involved in a serious incident.
You work hard for your money, so work hard to protect it. Do not hand it over to a smooth talking con artist. Fraud is a multi-billion dollar per year business that will only stop when the con artists stop making money.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1 – 888 – 310 – 1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1 – 800 – 222 – 8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.
FRAUD – RECOGNIZE IT….REPORT IT….STOP IT….
For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca