(CENTRAL HURON, ON) – A Central Huron resident is out $6400 after falling for an online scam. The 25 year old victim reported he received a friend request from a stranger on Facebook last fall. The victim accepted the friend request from “Dorrisâ€Â, purportedly a resident of Ghana. After some initial Facebook communication he was directed to start communicating with her via a mobile messenger application.
After a couple months of texting and emailing, Dorris asked him to send her some money. The funds were supposed to pay for groceries, medical bills, phone bills, a grandmother’s surgery and for a plane ticket. In total, the victim sent eight money transfers totalling $6,400 to Dorris.
The victim in this matter never spoke over the phone or in person with the scammer. All of the communication was through texting and emails.
The victim’s father reported the matter to police late last week after his suspicions were aroused when his son had asked him for a loan.
The victim continued to receive assurances from the scammer that she was legitimate and was in the process of purchasing a plane ticket to come and visit him.