Over the course of this week, two OPP detachments and the North Bay Police all issued news releases warning of scams in the community.
Huntsville OPP alerted residents about people conducting grandparent scams after two victims reported being victimized. An elderly female was defrauded of $5000 cash by a suspect posing as bailiff who needed the money to release her grandson from jail. The second report was from an elderly female giving $6000 to a caller posing as her grandson and called taxi to pick her up to attend bank to withdraw cash. A photo of the suspect was released. She’s described as a female with dark hair wearing dark clothing. She reportedly poses as a Bailiff or law enforcement agency member.
In North Bay, police issued a warning after receiving multiple reports of the same scams. The scammers are calling elderly individuals claiming to need money to help the victim’s grandchild. The reported incidents are being investigated by the North Bay Police Service.
Scammers may contact victims either over the phone, by text, e-mail, or over social media, and offer to offer to pick the money up in person or have it sent by mail or online, sometimes through the use of cryptocurrency.
If you receive a suspicious call, remember:
- Be suspicious of calls that require immediate action. Hang up and contact the family member directly.
- The caller either doesn’t provide a normal jail location for the area if asked or mistakes the local police service. Call the non-emergency number of the police service to verify the story or confirm the name and badge number of the officer calling.
- When at the bank, tell the truth about why you’re taking out large sums of cash as bank tellers are very familiar with scams.
- The courts won’t ask for cash to bail out someone in custody and will require people to be present in court.
- Never send cash, cryptocurrencies or any other funds to unknown person, unverified addresses or bank accounts.
- Take time to verify the story by asking the caller a few personal questions or pressing your caller for details. Scammers are counting on you wanting to quickly help your loved one in an emergency.
Meanwhile, Orillia OPP are warning the public of a new scam in the area. On February 20th, officers were made aware of a scam involving fire protection. Police were provided an oddly formatted pamphlet with no business markings, stating it was a home safety checklist with advice for fire safety. With assistance from the Orillia Fire Prevention Officer, it was determined that fire alarms pictured in the pamphlet did not seem to be Canadian standard. Further investigation determined that there were no business markings, address or phone numbers associated to the pamphlet other than a hand written number on one of the pages.
Scammers are adaptable and talented at changing their methods in order to defraud victims, but a few things to look out for in order to protect yourself from these types of frauds include:
- Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately act and request money for a family member in distress
- Be careful what you post online. Scammers can get details that you shared on social media platforms and dating sites to target you or get names and details about your loved ones
- Don’t trust caller ID names and numbers. Scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and can make it appear as a trusted phone number, also known as spoofing
If you have been contacted by a scammer, please report it immediately.
OPP: 1-888-310-1122
North Bay Police Service: 705-497-5555 and press 5 to speak with an officer
Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or anonymously at www.crimestopperssdm.com
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or report a fraud online at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
If you missed our in-depth story about various scams, you can check out our story here.
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