Octogenarian Defrauded Of $10,000 In Owen Sound

On Wednesday, March 23rd Owen Sound Police Service responded to a complaint of a suspected fraud which occurred over a two day period in early March. Using a number of telephone calls, the criminal lead the victim to believe that he was an official with a legitimate Canadian bank, and was acting in her best interests after her account had been flagged for irregular activities and purchases. When she advised there were no transactions on her accounts, the fraudster transferred her to a second male posing as an investigator with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Duping her into providing access to her computer, the criminal tricked her into setting up an on-line banking application, and then hijacked her computer using a remote server, subsequently removing in excess of $10,000 from various accounts.

Warning sign(s) – How to protect yourself

Beware of unsolicited phone calls & emails from individuals or financial institutions presenting an urgent situation requiring immediate attention. In reality it is a malicious attempt to collect customer information for the purpose of committing fraud.

Prior to sending any funds or product, make contact with existing clients in person or by telephone to confirm that the request is legitimate.

Over 150,000 Monthly Readers! 1 Million+ Across the entire FreePress Network.