A 66 year old Owen Sound resident has been defrauded of almost $10,000 after being duped by a man representing himself as an official with a banking institution.
Originally contacted by telephone, the fraudster convinced the victim to provide him with remote access to her computer and banking information by telling her she had been defrauded, then asking for her help to catch the culprit. Once access was gained to the victim’s accounts, several money transfers occurred. The scam was eventually identified by a family member, and police and legitimate banking officials were immediately notified.
The Owen Sound Police Service would like to remind people that legitimate banking institutions will never instruct customers to use their hard-earned savings as a lure to catch criminals.
Furthermore, they will never instruct clients to send them money via a money transfer service.
The matter has been forwarded to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre for continued investigation.