A Goderich resident lost $1,000 to a phoney bank investigator scam.
The OPP says the victim received a call from a scammer claiming to work for one of the big banks on November 18. The caller claimed to work for an anti-fraud unit investigating a possible case of identity theft.
The fake bank employee told the Goderich man transactions on his account were being monitored and some suspicious activity had been found.
The victim checked his online accounts and saw what appeared to be a deposit. He was given a fake incident report number, and asked to wire the excess deposit of $985 to the investigator.
The victim later called his local branch to learn the scammer had actually transferred money from the victim's line of credit into his savings account.
Police advise residents to never transfer funds electronically to people they don’t personally know.
People should also check bank statements frequently and report any irregularities to the bank immediately.
