South Bruce OPP urge public to beware of cons and scams

(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) - The South Bruce OPP is urging residents to beware of cons and scams, following five reports of successful scams in December - successful in that the con-artist made money.

Between Dec. 11 and Dec. 29, the South Bruce OPP received five reports of Fraud with losses totalling nearly $500,000:
 

• On-line purchases made through a fraudulent website - $97 (U.S. dollars)
• Two incidents of E-transfer made to help a "grandchild" - $3,000 each time
• Crypto exchange through a fraudulent site - $140,000 (U.S. dollars)
• Crypto investing through a fraudulent on-line broker - $338,000

Tech-savvy scammers use technology to create very convincing schemes to trick you into sending them money. They will commonly use the name of a real company to gain your trust so that you will send money or personal information to them.

The South Bruce OPP is offering you some tips to help protect you from a con-artist:
 

• If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
• Remember that you can't win a contest that you didn't enter in the first place.
• If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Do not provide remote access to a "tech" who calls you out of the blue.
• Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you and directs you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone.
• Your best defence is to verify any unsolicited contact. Unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it.

Fraud is a multi-million-dollar enterprise that will end only when the scammers stop making money.

Anyone interested in more information about fraud, can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or check on-line at ww.antifraudcentre.ca/.

The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at www.cstip.ca, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.