(MUNICIPALITY OF NORTH PERTH, ON) – On Saturday February 27, 2016, a Listowel resident contacted the Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and reported being defrauded.
The male met a female from Ghana (West Africa), on the dating site “Plenty of Fish”. After building a relationship, the female advised that she would like to visit him in Canada. She explained that she needed funds to pay for the trip. In addition she required additional money to pay the cost for her being allowed to travel outside of Africa.
The male sent money grams totalling $5,000 Shortly after, the male realized that the female was stringing him along and she had no intention to travel anywhere.
“Dating and Romance” scams have a profound impact on victims, both emotionally and financially. Scammers have shown their willingness to invest time into forming false relationships with unsuspecting victims in order to gain their trust and steal their money. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), in 2014 there were 1,467 complaints from Canada of romance fraud. Of those complaints, 998 victims were identified and their combined financial losses exceeded $13.9 million, second only to wire fraud.
Scammers can easily steal photos online and use dating sites and social media to lure victims into sending money for various reasons.
Scammers may also send you small enticing gifts to prove they are genuine. They may express a desire to meet you in person even though they are usually a long distance away; possibly even another country. Having gained the victim’s trust, the fraudster may ask you for flight money to visit, or claim to have a personal emergency in which they will ask you to send money. Sometimes they don’t ask, the victim simply feels compelled to send the money because they believe they have a trusting relationship.
March is Fraud Prevention Month and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre the OPP and its partners — the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Competition Bureau of Canada – will join police services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud.
Every year, thousands of Canadians fall victim to fraud amassing losses in the millions of dollars. Regardless of age, gender and location, everyone can take basic steps to better protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. Some basic tips include never giving out personal information at your door, over the phone, through social media, or on dating websites.
This year’s OPP Fraud Prevention Month media campaign will focus on five topics including:
Emergency/Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams
Romance Scam
Microsoft/Computer scams
Phishing/Bank Web Site scams
Lottery scams
The OPP will be posting tips and links to various resources online. The public is encouraged to engage in the conversation to help them recognize, reject and report fraud on social media by using the hashtags #FPM2016 #DontBeAVictim and #OPPtips.
If you or someone you know suspect they’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or online at https://www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm
“Recognize, Reject and Report Fraud”!