(MUNICIPALITY OF NORTH PERTH, ON) The Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was contacted by a North Perth resident who realized she had been scammed out of a large amount of money as she was trying to start up a small business.
Investigation revealed that the resident searched the internet for help starting an on-line business working from home adding new websites onto eBay. She located what appeared to be a legitimate on-line company which promised to provide her small business success. She was required to pay an initial fee of $5,000.
She then started receiving calls from numerous people purporting to work for this company convincing her she required more credentials to get her business up and running. After numerous credit card payments totalling $21,000., and not hearing back from the company for over a month and a half, she realized she had been defrauded.
The Perth County OPP wants to remind the public that, there are no shortcuts to wealth – the only people that make money are the scammers. Don’t make any decisions without carefully researching the offer. Seek independent advice before making a decision. Beware of products or schemes claiming to guarantee job offers requiring payment of an upfront fee.
Fraud is a billion dollar enterprise that will only stop when the scammers stop making money. Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call centre at 1-888-495-8501 or check online at http//:www.antifraudcentre.ca.