SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY – The South Bruce OPP say two area residents were the victim of online scams last week.
Police are calling the scams ‘successful’ because the con artist made money. Known as the Bitcoin scam, cryptocurrency scam or online investment scams, the two scams last week cost southern Bruce County residents a total of $16,000.
Year-to-date, South Bruce OPP say nearly $89,000 has been sent to scammers by southern Bruce County residents.
“Cons and scams are attempted daily through online platforms, by phone, by letter mail, or by fax,” stated the OPP in a release. “The reality is that fraud is a multi-million-dollar enterprise that will only end when the con artists stop making money.
“If you are considering an online investment, the South Bruce OPP wants you to be absolutely sure who you are dealing with because once you send cryptocurrency, it’s gone.”
Police say the following are some of the “common tools” in a con artist’s toolbox:
– Spoofing. Appears to be contact from a friend, legitimate company or even a branch of the government, but it’s not. They can manipulate caller ID to display a number they want. To avoid the scam; end the call and connect with the real person, company, branch of the government. If it’s an email, hover over “Reply” and see what email address shows up.
– Urgency. “Act now,” “limited time offer,” “click now.” The scammer doesn’t want you to consider the offer as suspicious. To avoid the scam; time is on your side. Verify the contact before you go any further.
– Emotional manipulation. Con artists will play on your emotions to get your money. Romance scam, emergency scam, grandparent scam, charity scam. To avoid the scam; be suspicious when they play on your emotions. Check out the Anti-Fraud Centre’s A-Z index of scams, maybe this is a listed scam.
– Pop-ups. Boxes that appear on your computer or device screen. “You’ve won a prize,” “your device is infected,” etc. A toll-free number is provided for you to call. To avoid the scam; install anti-virus, pop-up blockers, clear your cache, block cookies – when possible. Don’t use public Wi-Fi – particularly for online banking. Never call the number in a pop-up.
The South Bruce OPP offer the following 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” that 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.
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.
