OPP Warn of New Frauds and Scams
**From the Editor: Though this release came from the Red Lake OPP Detachment, Northshore detachments have been warning of similar scams and I thought we can never have too much information when it comes to these types of crimes.
NEW PHONE FRAUD AND EMAIL SCAMS
RED LAKE, ON – New scams are invented every day using the phone and internet. The people who commit these scams are professional con-artists. They practice, and some are good at it. They want your money and will cheat to get it from you.
If you suspect you may be the target of a fraud, or if you have already sent funds or personal information, don’t be embarrassed – become educated.
A local resident recently received a phone call from her “grandson”, advising that he was in jail and needed bail money. He requested that she send $4,500, and was distraught and very demanding. When questioned why, the fraudster explained that a sore throat was causing his voice to sound different than normal. The fraudulent grandson also knew personal information about the family and used it to try to convince the woman to send the money. The woman suspected it was a fraud, did the right thing, and hung up the phone.
ANOTHER SCAM is an email request from the “wife of the former president of Liberia”, with a request for an urgent business transaction. In this case, the transfer of millions of dollars are at hand and she needs your help to bring justice to the situation. When contact is made in this scam, personal information and a processing fee are requested. This is an example of a West African Fraud or Nigerian Letters, which have been around for many years.
THE THIRD FRAUD that has targeted the Red Lake area is a request for personal information in response to a widow bequeathing $9.8 million to you, a random stranger.
On her deathbed, she has decided to give her estate to a stranger and you are the lucky person. Remember- if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is not true.
Do not give out personal information over the phone or the internet. Institutions and companies, such as banks or your telephone company, already have the information that they need and they will not ask for it again.
If you have been targeted with a scam, or suspect that you are a target, you can contact RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime On Line). RECOL is a new one-stop shop for reporting economic crime. It allows victims of economic crime and others to quickly distribute useful information to the Ontario Provincial Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and partners. Consultations at the RECOL web site are secure. Information transmitted to and from the site is encrypted. Private information submitted to RECOL is only received by those agencies specifically selected by the person filing the complaint. Furthermore, personal information provided to the RCMP is protected under the Government of Canada’s Privacy Act.
- To report an economic crime using RECOL, please visit www.recol.ca
