(HALIBURTON, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding to use caution when dealing with telemarketers and door-to-door sales people peddling water purification equipment. Haliburton Highlands OPP was made aware of a recent scam that had taken place in Haliburton County.
In this scam, the fraudster attends an elderly persons residence requesting to test their water and/or offering free sample services. In return, he or she takes a credit card number and either charges somebody for a service not yet performed or sells somebody a water heater or a reverse osmosis machine in excess of anywhere between $4,000 to $10,000
Fraudsters are professional criminals that know what they are doing. Fraudsters rely on some basic techniques to be successful. These include:
· developing professional-looking marketing materials
· providing believable answers for your tough questions
· impersonating government agencies, legitimate businesses, websites, charities, and causes
· pretending to be your ordinary supplier
· hiding the true details in the fine print
· preying on areas of vulnerability, including those needing help with loans or finding employment
· asking for fees in advance of promised services
· threatening legal action to collect on alleged contracts
· falsely claiming affiliation with reliable sources, such as legitimate news sites to support their products or services
· and exchanging victim lists with other fraudsters.
If you or someone you know may have been the victim of any type of scam, contact your local police service or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
FRAUD…Recognize it…Report it…Stop it.
For more information about frauds and safety tips visit the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca