EMERGENCY SCAM – Grandparent scam active once again
Detachments from across East Region of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) continue to remind individuals to be aware of ongoing frauds and scams. Take the time to conduct research, ask questions and take a minute before sending gift cards or money.
On November 5, 2021 the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP Detachment received a report from an individual in the Pembroke area who had been targeted by the emergency scam. The victim received a call advising that her daughter had been involved with police and was in custody. The scammer was attempting to make arrangement for the release of their daughter and $9,000 needed to be sent immediately to facilitate the court process. The scammer identified himself as a police officer.
The victim then spoke to someone on the phone who was crying, claiming to be their daughter, who requested this be kept secretive as to avoid further trouble. The victim did not transfer the money and contacted several family members to get assistance with this suspicious call. Subsequently, the victim contacted their daughter and confirmed she had not been involved in any such incident.
As a reminder, here are some red flags to identify frauds and scams:
- Often times, there will be a request not to tell anyone, to keep it a secret to avoid further trouble
- Request for gift cards or cryptocurrency
- Urgent request for action or information
- Request for banking information
- Unsolicited attempts at selling products or services
Tips on how to protect yourself:
• Be careful what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms and dating sites for targeting purposes.
• Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately take action and request bail money for a family member in distress. Contact the family member directly for confirmation.
• Be careful with caller IDs that look familiar. Scammers may use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from (“spoof”) and make it appear as a trusted number.
• Never give personal identifiable information or money to anyone you have only communicated with by telephone or online.
Remember: fraudsters are sneaky and sly.
Knowledge is Power!
OPP encourages anyone who feels they may be the target of a scam, or if you know of someone who has, to contact your local police and/or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 – Fraud: Recognize. Report. Reject. www.antifraudcentre.ca
Anyone having information on the above incidents or any other crime is asked to call SD&G OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or you can submit a TIP online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca
Copeland,A/Sgt.T.,OPP East Region(2021,Nov.8) EMERGENCY SCAM – Grandparent scam active once again [media release]
Winter vacation planning tips includes crime prevention
With the upcoming winter season, many people will be travelling for the holidays and planning sunny vacations to the south during the winter months. It is important to take a few moments to think about crime prevention for your home and property before you go. The Killaloe Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind residents to consider the following crime prevention tips while away from their residence:
- Do not announce your trip/vacation plans on social media. Advertising your absence could be an invitation to would-be thieves.
- Arrange for someone to maintain your home so it appears occupied – this includes shovelling the walkways and driveway, picking up mail, flyers and newspapers and placing garbage and recycling containers at the curb for normal pickup.
- Ask trusted neighbours to keep an eye on your residence while you are away and leave your vacation address and phone numbers with them so you can be reached in an emergency.
- Use timers for lights, television or radios.
- Make sure all the locks on the windows and doors function properly and use them.
- Leave the shades and blinds on doors and windows in a position that you normally would have them.
- Ask a neighbour to park in your driveway so it will appear as if someone is home.
- Make sure smoke and burglary alarms are functioning properly and armed.
- Consider taking valuables to a safety deposit box.
Your vacation should be an enjoyable, relaxing experience. Following these safety tips will reduce the chance of being victimized and allow travellers to return home to a safe and secure residence.
In the event you are reporting an occurrence that does not require immediate police assistance, please call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to speak to someone at the Killaloe Detachment, contact 613-757-2600.
Yarmel,C.,OPP Killaloe Detachment(2021,Nov.8) PLANNING A WINTER VACATION AND CRIME PREVENTION [media release]
The grandparent scam is especially prevalent in Toronto in the Polish community. Polish fraudsters arrive here from Poland as “visitors” and then search the phone books for Polish-sounding names and call and claim to be “long-lost relatives” stranded in Canada who need some financial “help” and then demand money and they just keep repeating this process until they find a gullible person to give them money. Other scams are the “hand-shake scam” where they shake your hand and suddenly their arm seems to go limp and they claim you broke their “arm” and demand “thousands of dollars” in compensation. A similar scam is the “car scam” where you give them a “lift” in your car to somewhere and at the destination they feign a mysterious severe leg or back injury followed by a similar demand for huge amounts of “compensation”. Sometimes they will try to “befriend” you so they can learn your home address and schedule and “visit” when you are not in and try to burglarize your home or “visit” in the “wee hours” to steal things from your backyard. Polish “visitors” to Canada seem to have an intense propensity for lying, cheating, and stealing:- interested readers might search “Weronika Piela” on the Internet for an especially egregious example of this phenomenon which also involved kidnapping. If you encounter one of these parasites just say “I will call the police!”:- they are very allergic to the word “police” and will suddenly “vamoose”!