Senior Loses $3,600 In Bank Inspector Scam

(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment want to alert the public after a senior from Simcoe, Ontario was contacted by an unknown male seeking their help to catch a teller in the bank that was stealing funds.

On Thursday, May 21, 2015 at approximately 12:47 p.m., a concerned resident attended the Norfolk County OPP Detachment and reported a fraud.

Through investigation it was determined that on Thursday, May13, 2015 at approximately 10:00 a.m., a local senior received a call from an unknown male claiming to be a banking manager from their financial institution. The caller stated that a teller had stolen money from their accounts, and needed their help in catching the thief. The caller provided instructions to attend the bank and withdraw a large sum of money and have the money put into an envelope and to tell no one.

The senior then returned home and received a phone call from the same male who advised the resident to attend a Lot Street, Simcoe, Ontario address where they would be approached by an investigator from the bank so the funds could be turned over. The caller stated that this would assist in apprehending the bank employee responsible for tampering with the account. Approximately $3,600 dollars was turned over to the suspect.

The suspect is being described as male, white, approximately 50 years of age, medium build, greyish hair, wearing all dark clothing similar to a security guard uniform. The suspect also wore a baseball cap with a logo on the front along with steel rimmed eye glasses.

The OPP are warning everyone that this is a SCAM and to be extremely vigilant if you should receive this type of call.

The purpose of this scam is to defraud you of your money. The person on the telephone sounds genuine and actual calls can sometimes last hours however you can be certain he/she is not a real bank employee.

“The painful irony of this scam is that it is an honest individual’s desire to help catch a criminal that ends up turning that person into a victim. Luckily there are a few simple precautions that individuals can take to ensure they don’t fall prey to this type of fraud,” comments Constable Ed Sanchuk.

First, it is important to remember that neither your bank nor a police investigator will ever request that you assist in an undercover investigation or ask you to withdraw money from your account. If you receive such a suspicious call, hang up and call police.

Never give out personal bank information over the phone unless you have called your bank and they ask questions to verify your identity.

If you do need to withdraw a large sum of money for a legitimate purpose, request a bank draft or a money order as this ensures only the intended recipient is able to access the money. Criminals will not accept these forms of payment because it creates a paper trail that can be used by real investigators to track the fraudsters.

Check your bank statement frequently and report any irregularities to your bank as soon as you notice them.

Remember: If you have received this type of telephone call, a serious criminal offence of attempt fraud has been committed. By reporting this attempt fraud to your bank and local police, other people in your community will be notified and protected.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1 – 888 – 310 – 1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1 – 800 – 222 – 8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.

The investigation is continuing.

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