NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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Phishing phone call scams posing as a lottery are targeting senior citizens within the county via landline phones, and the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) wants the public to be aware.
On September 8, 2024, the elderly victim was contacted via an unsolicited unknown phone number to their landline phone, posing as a lottery service. The scammers told the victim they were able to purchase tickets for the lottery via gift cards and promised prizes from the lottery in return. The victim was instructed to attend a local business, while staying on the phone, purchase $500 worth of gift cards and read out the numbers on the cards to the scammers. The victim was then contacted the next day, with the scammers continuing the same narrative, but were now asking for $2000 worth of gift cards this time. The victim then suspected they were being subject to fraudulent activity, hung-up the phone and reported the incident to police.
The Wellington County OPP encourages the public to stay alert and educated to reduce the risk of being a victim of fraud. If you receive an unsolicited phone call or message, asking for personal information (name, birthday, address, phone number, bank information, SIN number) or payment via gift cards for a product, do not provide the information and hang-up the phone and block the phone number.
Warning signs to look out for when receiving unsolicited messages include: Emails, text-messages or phone calls sent at odd times of the night, creating a false sense of urgency, spelling errors, lack of punctuation or capitals in sentences, automated messages, random links or attachments, and generic business or company names.
For more information on scams and frauds, the public is encouraged to read The Little Black Book of Scams, which can be found online: https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03074.html
If you are the recipient of a fraudulent call, text, or email, or if you have been a victim of a fraud, you are encouraged to report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or visit http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
FRAUD - RECOGNIZE IT…REPORT IT…STOP IT….
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