(WELLINGTON COUNTY, ON) -Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a complaint from a County resident about being the victim of the “Emergency Scamâ€Â. A phone call was placed to the victim by an unknown person posing to be his son. He stated that he was in jail and needed bail money. A second male came on the phone advising that he was his lawyer and money needed to be sent from a Wal-Mart via Western Union to an address in Quebec. The money in the amount of $1900 would be used to get his son out of jail. Money was sent and the victim realized afterward it was a scam. This investigation is continuing.
The “Emergency Scam†Fraud plays on people’s emotions. The fraudster will use a story involving a family member in distress and attempt to solicit funds. If you receive a call of this nature, ask questions, be calm and verify the information. Once a person has sent money, it is very difficult to get the money back. Investigations of this nature are very challenging because fraudsters will not use real names or telephone numbers.
For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud or scams go online to www.antifraudcentre.ca or Fraud Prevention Section at www.opp.ca