(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment would like to warn all Norfolk County residents about the Publishing Clearing House Scam that has been occurring in Norfolk County, Ontario.
The OPP has received calls from concerned residents after they received a phone call from an unknown male claiming that the resident has won a large sum of money. The caller claims that they are calling from the Publishing Clearing House and that they would like to attend the homeowners address. The unknown caller then proceeds to provide the first few digits of a debit or credit card number and then asks for personal and financial information so that all the details on the cheque can be filled out.
The OPP want to ensure that if anyone has received this type of phone call and has provided any information to take proactive steps in order to prevent them from becoming targets of Identity Theft.
If you have provided your personal or financial information and suspect that it has been used and misappropriated to commit fraud or theft, take action immediately and keep a record of your conversations and correspondence. The following basic actions are appropriate in almost every case.
Start a log of dates, person(s) that you spoke with and exactly what they said.
Contact the fraud departments of each of the two major credit bureaus.
Equifax: (800) 465-7166 and Trans Union: (800) 663-998. Request that a Fraud Alert” be placed in your files. At the same time order copies of your credit reports.
Contact the fraud department of creditors for any accounts that have been opened or tampered with fraudulently. This may include credit card companies