HALDIMAND COUNTY – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Haldimand County Detachment is reminding the public to be vigilant and never give out any personal information or transfer funds to any unknown persons after a resident was scammed for over $30,000 in Caledonia, Haldimand County, Ontario.
On Thursday August 24, 2020, a Caledonia resident reported they were the victim of a fraud after sending over $30,000 to an unknown person they had only met online. OPP investigation determined the victim and suspect began correspondence with one another in June, 2020.
During that time, the suspect had told the victim they needed to borrow money to travel out of country to collect an inheritance and also for medications for their sick child. The suspect promised the victim that they would pay the victim back double the amount borrowed.
The victim had transferred over $30,000 to the suspect before an alert bank employee spoke to the victim and advised them that they were likely the target of a scam. No further funds were sent to the suspect. OPP is reminding the public to never give out any personal information or funds (via gift cards or other forms) to someone you don’t know.
To learn about ways to protect yourself from scams and frauds, the OPP encourages community members to stay educated on fraud prevention
