(MUNICIPALITY OF GREY HIGHLANDS, ON) – On Sunday, December 1, 2013 at approximately 7:38 p.m., Grey County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a fraud complaint after $1568.48 was lost as a result of a “software upgrade†scam.
At approximately 6:10 p.m. an employee at the Foodland grocery store located on Toronto St., S., Markdale, in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, received a phone call from an unknown male identifying himself as a representative from Western Union Technical Support. The suspect advised the employee that they were conducting software upgrades.
The employee was instructed to use a Western Union credit terminal to conduct a series of tests with transactions to update the system. The suspect was insistent that the employee stay on the line to prevent the interruption in the connection. Two transactions were entered into the credit machine which resulted in the transfer of $1839.48. The employee was then instructed to stand by the printer for a test sample print-out. The employee contacted Western Union and discovered they had been scammed. Some of the monies were retrieved, but a total of $1,568.48 was unrecovered.
It’s not always easy to spot scams and new ones are invented every day. If you suspect that you may be a target of fraud, or if you have already sent funds, don’t be embarrassed – you’re not alone.
If you want to report a fraud, see examples of various fraud scams, or if you need more information, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or their website: www.antifraudcentre.ca.