THUNDER BAY – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Haldimand County Detachment is investigating after a female victim lost $7,000 in an apparent romance scam at a Highway 3, Dunnville, Haldimand County, Ontario address.
On Friday, March 8, 2019, at 2:14 pm, OPP began the investigation after a female reported she was defrauded for $7,000 from a male she had met on a dating website.
OPP officers discovered that the female victim met the male suspect on a dating website where the two began communicating for a period of time. During their conversations, the suspect told the victim that his daughter was in the hospital and he didn’t have enough money to pay her medical bills. The concerned victim then transferred $7,000 to the suspect.
The suspect had then sent the victim a cheque to repay the funds, however, the cheque was determined to be fraudulent.
The OPP reminds the public to never send money, or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust. A request to send/transfer money to a person you have never personally met should be a red flag.
Fraudsters will develop a relationship over an extended period of time to gain the trust of the victim before going after his or her money.
Don’t share your financial situation with anyone and be suspicious of people who are pressing you for that information or requesting money.
For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.
FRAUD – RECOGNIZE IT…REPORT IT….STOP IT….
