New telephone scam in the County

The Prince Edward County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning the public about a telephone-based scam after several people in the County were recently defrauded of thousands of dollars.

The scheme involves the victim receiving a phone call from someone posing as a retailer and alerting them that their credit card account has been compromised.

“The victim is then told to call 911, as well as their financial institution, to report the fraud but when they hang up, the person is unaware the call is not disconnected,” said Const. Patrick Menard. “Police said the victims are then led to believe they make an outgoing call and are speaking to authorities but in fact the original call was never disconnected.

“The victims are then told to go to “Western Union” to transfer funds into a different account supposedly intended to safeguard their funds. The victim has in fact received these instructions from the original fraudster.”

Menard advises residents to protect themselves from this and other frauds and scams.

“Don’t give out personal financial details or information over the phone. Don’t believe callers who say they are from your bank or credit card company. If you have a concern, go to your bank personally. Educate yourself about banking practices. Banks would never advise you to transfer funds to another outside account to protect your funds.”

More information on frauds and scams and how to protect yourself can be found online by visiting the following websites:
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Consumer Protection Ontario
Canadian Bankers Association
Ontario Provincial Police