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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-09-17, Page 14Huron East resident caught in Internet scam HURON EAST - Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating a recent case of the "Romance Scam" that has left a victim out thousands of dollars. The Huron East resi- dent reported she met a male friend through an online dating website in Sep- tember of 2013. The victim was led to believe the male had feelings for her and was completely in love with her. The male was also able to convince the victim he was going to move from his native country of Nigeria to live with her. The male, named Morris offered up his life -story to the victim and it all seemed very plausible to the victim. After approximately four months of communicating through emails, text messag- ing and the occasional phone call "Morris" began asking for money. The victim was instructed to transfer funds by wire ser- vice to another male's name. The victim was told the money was for Morris's com- pany and that he would re- pay her back once some "big" contracts came through. Morris always asked for small installments of cash, usually around $200 to $300. Morris also told the victim he was in the process of getting a Canadian visa and he continued to assure the victim he would be in Canada soon. The victim then received a call from someone purport- ing to be Morris's doctor. The phony doctor stated Morris was on the way to the airport to fly to Canada when he was involved in a collision. Mor- ris was now in need of $800 to get out of the hospital. The victim wired the money and waited for her friend to show up in Canada. The victim drove to meet him at the London Airport however her "friend" never showed. The lies just couldn't stop for Morris as he told the victim he flew into Calgary by mistake. The victim realized she had been scammed and reported the matter to police on Aug. 28. The victim reported to police she has sent approximately $25,000 to the scammer. The "Romance and Dat- ing" scam has proliferated with the use of social media and social networking and dating sites. Fraudsters will attempt to gain the trust of the victim through displays of affection and by trying to appeal to your compassion- ate side. They use emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details. The Canadian Anti -Fraud Centre (CAFC) reported in 2012 there were 1047 victims of this type of fraud with losses exceeding $14.8 million. If you have met someone online and the romance is progressing at lightning speed it might be an indica- tor that you're love interest isn't genuine and is rather out to scam you. Here are some tips that will help pre- vent this type of fraud. - Check website addresses carefully. Scammers often set up fake websites with very similar addresses to legitimate dating websites. Make sure you only use legit- imate and reputable dating websites. - Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust. A request to send money to a foreign country to a person you have never personally met should be a red flag. - Be careful giving out per- sonal information in an email or when you are chat- ting online. Educate yourself, ask questions, and be skepti- cal. Ask yourself, does this sound legitimate. Is it nor- mal for someone to declare their love in only a few letters or emails? - Be informed and stay on top of scams, inform your friends, family and loved ones of this scam. If you sus- pect that you may be a target of a fraud, or if you have already sent funds, don't be embarrassed, you are not alone. You can contact the Canadian Anti -Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.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. 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