(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment want to remind all Norfolk County residents that if they receive a call indicating that you have won a large amount of currency from an International Lottery or a new vehicle, please hang up the phone. This is a SCAM.
Several elderly residents of Norfolk County have received calls from unknown individuals indicating that the home owner had won various lotteries which included million dollar prizes and luxury vacation trips.
On Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at approximately 10:15 a.m., police received a call from a concerned resident of Norfolk County, Ontario.
Through investigation, it was determined that an unknown male had made contact with an elderly resident of Norfolk County on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. The caller indicated that the homeowner had won an Australian lottery valued at approximately $ 22 million dollars and needed to pay the taxes on the winnings in order to release the funds.
Over the course of two years, approximately $15,000 dollars was forwarded through a money transfer service to an unknown individual in Jamaica. Police are urging all residents to be aware of unsolicited calls representing legitimate companies or organizations.
The OPP is warning all Norfolk County residents that if anyone should receive a call from an unknown person indicating that you have won any type of lottery or new vehicle, to please hang up the phone, this is a scam.
Don’t become a statistic. Fraud is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that will only stop when the scammers stop getting money, banking information or personal information. The best thing to do is to simply hang up the phone.
If any groups or businesses in Norfolk County would like to have a presentation completed regarding Scams and Frauds / Identity Theft prevention, please contact Provincial Constable Ed Sanchuk at the Norfolk County Detachment at 519-426-3434.
For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.