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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-03-05, Page 66 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Facebook "friend" scams Huron man A Central Huron resident is out $6,400 after falling for an online scam. The 25 -year-old victim reported he received a friend request from a stranger on Facebook last fall. The victim accepted the friend request from "Dorris," purportedly a resident of Ghana. After some initial Facebook communication he was directed to start communicating with her via a mobile messenger application. After a couple months of texting and emailing, Dorris asked him to send her some money. The funds were supposed to pay for groceries, medical bills, phone bills, a grandmother's surgery and for a plane ticket. In total, the victim sent eight money transfers which came to a total of $6,400 to Dorris. The victim in this matter never spoke over the phone or in person with the scammer. All of the com- munication was through texting and emails. The victim's father reported the matter to police late last week after his suspicions were aroused when his son had asked him for a loan. The victim continued to receive assurances from the scammer that she was legitimate and was in the process of purchasing a plane ticket to come and visit him. Here are some tips to avoid being a victim of an online dating scam. Keep in mind that the person you are communi- cating with online might not be who they say they are. It's very easy to create a fake online profile. Don't get fooled. Never send money or give credit card or online account details to any- one you do not know and trust. A request to send money to a foreign country or to a person you have never personally met should be a red flag. Check website addresses carefully. Scammers often set up fake websites with very similar addresses to legiti- mate dating websites. Make sure you only use legitimate and reputable dating websites. Be careful giving out personal information in an email or when you are chatting online. Use the computer to your advantage. Educate yourself, ask questions, and be skeptical. Ask yourself, does this sound legitimate? Does this make sense? Don't let your emotions cloud your good judgment. If you suspect that you may be a target of a fraud, or if you have already sent funds, don't be embar- rassed, you are not alone. You can contact the Canadian Anti - Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcen- tre.ca or by calling 1-888-495-8501. Alternatively you can contact the Huron OPP Detachment at 1-888- 310-1122 or (519) 524-1074. Grandmother falls for scam, gives $7,500 An 81 -year-old grandmother from Exeter is out $7,500 after falling victim to a common scam known as the "Grand- parent/Emergency Scam': On February 20, 2014 Huron County Ontario Provin- cial Police received information from a Canada Post employee that became sus- picious of two international wire trans- fers that were made on consecutive days last week for the same amount of $3,800. The scam followed a very similar script. The victim received a phone call at home from the scammers purporting to be her grandson. The scammer stated he had been involved in a car accident in the Dominican Republic and needed $3800 to avoid going to jail. He also claimed that he had an injury to his mouth from the collision in effort to explain why his voice sounded muffled over the phone. The "grandson" instructed the victim to wire the funds and to not tell anyone about it. If anyone asked her any questions she was to inform them it was a personal mat- ter. The victim followed the instructions and sent $3800 to the scammer through a popular wire transfer service. The following day she was contacted again and the scammer told her the money didn't make it through. She was instructed to go to a dif- ferent town to complete the wire transfer. The victim returned to Canada Post and proceeded to wire another $3800 to the scammer located in the Dominican Republic. After the money was long gone her grandson was con- tacted and he advised he hadn't left Ontario. Sometimes you may get a call from two people, one pretending to be your grandchild and the other pretending to be either a police officer or a lawyer. Protect yourself. Remember, scammers are counting on the fact that you will want to act quickly to help your loved ones in an emergency. Never send money to anyone you don't know and trust. Verify the person's identity before you take any steps to help. Scammers want you to keep things confidential; this should raise your suspicions. Don't give out any personal informa- tion to the caller. Investigate by asking the person ques- tions that only your loved one would be able to answer. Verify the story. Ask your- self, does the caller's story make sense? Educate your relatives, friends, and neighbours about this scam. Prevention is the key. What should I do if I have been scammed? You should report the matter immediately to the Canadian Anti -Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre.ca Alternatively you can contact the Huron OPP Detachment at 1-888-310- 1122 or (519) 524-1074. Scammer nets The South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is sending another reminder for the residents of Southern Bruce County to watch out for scams after a resident in the Municipality of Kincar- dine reported losing $832 to the Microsoft scam. The Microsoft scam is a phone call to tell you there is some- thing wrong with your com- puter that can be fixed remotely - for a fee. If you suspect a problem, take your computer to a reputable repair service - don't trust the stranger on the phone. Fri & Sat 13:46 & 9:15 Sun Thur Sal, SUM, Tue & Thut Mat. 1:11.0. sof ine's R,Frf'.! viww.movielinks.ce !Mg dmkomorl-801:11-265-3438 832 Tech savvy con artists can create very convincing scams with the use of comput- ers and laser printers. Fraudsters will com- monly use the name of a legitimate com- pany to gain your trust, such as Microsoft. Fraud continues to be a multi -billion dollar per year enterprise that will only end when the scammers stop making money. There is no magic to preventing fraud - if it seems too good to be true it likely is. Always take time to verify the legitimacy of an unsolicited claim. Whether received by phone, fax, email or at the front door, unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it. Anyone interested in more information on fraud can call the CanadianAnti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495 8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/. The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information that can assist police to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477 (TIPS) or send a web -tip to crimestop-gb.org, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Free showing of Free Birds 1 14164. ;141 Oki, v.* *el eitiggeduitikeN.64 lot ftel OOP toil 111•4 foe • ' ffeara Make 'Your OHM Pt COderS eld 1 uil. , infer iati let a Astetk 81 .40 kimptan st,coputioi 524-23zi Free showing on mar. 5 at the Lucknow Branch Library of the family movie Free Birds. Two tur- keys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differ- ences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history - and get turkey off the holiday menu for good. Movie starts at 6:30 p.m. and it is free to all. t -n The Lucknow Sentinel • Birthday Club Shelby Barger March 5, 2005 - 9 years old • Justin Rintoul March 6, 2006 - 8 years old Tyler Aitchison March 6, 2008 - 6 years old Jesse Broome March 9, 2006 - 8 years old Kaleb Meyer * March 11, 2005 - 9 years old 4 Your child can be a member of the Sentinel's birthday club (----, call 519-528-2822 to register iv lifelimralenlinel 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822 or-, iememememisiememe,_ explain why his voice sounded muffled over the phone. The "grandson" instructed the victim to wire the funds and to not tell anyone about it. If anyone asked her any questions she was to inform them it was a personal mat- ter. The victim followed the instructions and sent $3800 to the scammer through a popular wire transfer service. The following day she was contacted again and the scammer told her the money didn't make it through. She was instructed to go to a dif- ferent town to complete the wire transfer. The victim returned to Canada Post and proceeded to wire another $3800 to the scammer located in the Dominican Republic. After the money was long gone her grandson was con- tacted and he advised he hadn't left Ontario. Sometimes you may get a call from two people, one pretending to be your grandchild and the other pretending to be either a police officer or a lawyer. Protect yourself. Remember, scammers are counting on the fact that you will want to act quickly to help your loved ones in an emergency. Never send money to anyone you don't know and trust. Verify the person's identity before you take any steps to help. Scammers want you to keep things confidential; this should raise your suspicions. Don't give out any personal informa- tion to the caller. Investigate by asking the person ques- tions that only your loved one would be able to answer. Verify the story. Ask your- self, does the caller's story make sense? Educate your relatives, friends, and neighbours about this scam. Prevention is the key. What should I do if I have been scammed? You should report the matter immediately to the Canadian Anti -Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre.ca Alternatively you can contact the Huron OPP Detachment at 1-888-310- 1122 or (519) 524-1074. Scammer nets The South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is sending another reminder for the residents of Southern Bruce County to watch out for scams after a resident in the Municipality of Kincar- dine reported losing $832 to the Microsoft scam. The Microsoft scam is a phone call to tell you there is some- thing wrong with your com- puter that can be fixed remotely - for a fee. If you suspect a problem, take your computer to a reputable repair service - don't trust the stranger on the phone. Fri & Sat 13:46 & 9:15 Sun Thur Sal, SUM, Tue & Thut Mat. 1:11.0. sof ine's R,Frf'.! viww.movielinks.ce !Mg dmkomorl-801:11-265-3438 832 Tech savvy con artists can create very convincing scams with the use of comput- ers and laser printers. Fraudsters will com- monly use the name of a legitimate com- pany to gain your trust, such as Microsoft. Fraud continues to be a multi -billion dollar per year enterprise that will only end when the scammers stop making money. There is no magic to preventing fraud - if it seems too good to be true it likely is. Always take time to verify the legitimacy of an unsolicited claim. Whether received by phone, fax, email or at the front door, unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it. Anyone interested in more information on fraud can call the CanadianAnti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495 8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/. The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information that can assist police to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477 (TIPS) or send a web -tip to crimestop-gb.org, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Free showing of Free Birds 1 14164. ;141 Oki, v.* *el eitiggeduitikeN.64 lot ftel OOP toil 111•4 foe • ' ffeara Make 'Your OHM Pt COderS eld 1 uil. , infer iati let a Astetk 81 .40 kimptan st,coputioi 524-23zi Free showing on mar. 5 at the Lucknow Branch Library of the family movie Free Birds. Two tur- keys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differ- ences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history - and get turkey off the holiday menu for good. Movie starts at 6:30 p.m. and it is free to all.