(HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Haldimand County Detachment is issuing a warning to the public after police investigated an incident at a Glenmore Place, Caledonia, Haldimand County, Ontario address.
On Monday, June 6, 2016 at approximately 5:14 p.m., police received a call from a concerned resident reporting a fraud.
Through the course of investigation, it was determined that a homeowner received a call from a male claiming to represent the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The caller informed the resident that a criminal investigation has been conducted and arrest warrants were being prepared stemming from overdue taxes owed to the government. The victim was then instructed to attend their bank and withdraw $3,500 dollars and attend a local store in the area in order to purchase iTunes gift cards.
As a result, the iTunes gift cards were purchased at which time the identification numbers on the back of the cards were provided to the unknown male resulting in the victim losing $3,500 dollars. The victim realized that this was a scam and immediately contacted police.
“The OPP are reminding all residents to be extremely vigilant when receiving phone calls or e-mails from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency or a police service inquiring about personal information and demanding payment on behalf of the Canada Revenue Agency. These types of calls are designed to create anxiety and complete shock for the unsuspecting resident resulting in personal and financial information being disclosed.” – Constable Ed Sanchuk, Haldimand County OPP.
The OPP would like to provide some additional information to better equip residents of Norfolk County to identify those communications that do not come from the CRA. The following general guidelines are provided.