A person from Montreal is facing charges after scamming a number of people including 2 in Huron County.
In March police were contacted about the cases with victims in Goderich and in Exeter.
The victims in their 70s and 80s were conned into sending $4000 to an address in Montreal to help someone they believed to be involved in a car crash.
One victim thought they were helping a neighbour while the other victim believed they were helping a grandchild.
A full list of scam warning signs can be found below:
Warning signs:
· Urgency — The scammer always makes the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.
· Fear — The scammer plays on the victim’s emotions by generating a sense of fear. For instance they may say, “I am scared and I need help from you.” Verify the identity of the person by asking a question they would not know the answer to.
· Secrecy — The scammer pleads with the victim not to tell anyone about the situation, such as, “Please don’t tell Dad or Mom, they would be so mad.” Regardless of the emergency, call another family member to confirm the story.
· Request for Money Transfer or Gift Cards — Money is usually requested to be sent by a money transfer company to the criminals, but gift cards are now the more frequently used, easy-to-liquidate alternative to cash.
If you do fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, we urge individuals to contact your local police service and the CAFC by phone at 1-888-495-8501 or online by way of the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), even if a financial loss did not occur.
