DRYDEN – NEWS – Telephone and Internet frauds and scams are increasing through the pandemic.
The Dryden Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) want you to confirm who you’re dealing with before sending any money or sharing personal information over the internet or the telephone.
Most recently, victims have reported to the police that fraudsters have claimed to offer government financial assistance to individuals. The fraudsters insist personal information is needed to receive the benefit payment which includes; personal identification, bank statements and passwords. The fraudsters also request money be sent to a Facebook account in the form of pre-paid credit cards, gifts cards or a photograph of your personal credit card.
Individuals should never respond to these fraudulent communications.
Here are some warning signs:
• Urgency– The fraudsters always makes the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.
• Request for Money Transfer– Money is usually requested to be sent by a money transfer company such as Money Gram, Western Union or even through your own bank institution.
• The request of payment using gift cards–The caller will tell the victim to purchase various types of gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, Steam, Walmart) and then text them pictures of the card numbers
If you or someone you know suspect that they’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your local police service. For more information please check out https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
