Perth County OPP is going to host an information session on fraud and scams.
This follows another local victim from Perth East who was recently conned out of $7,000 by scammers in Quebec.
The scammers called the victim and told them the victim's grandson had been in a crash, which eventually led to the release of funds.
Police also say another victim in North Perth was recently scammed out of $40,000 since December of 2023. The victim met someone posing as a celebrity on social media, and the victim sent numerous Apple gift cards over the duration of the scam.
In response, Perth County OPP is inviting and encouraging residents to attend an information session about frauds and scams at Parkview Gardens, at 565 Elizabeth Street East in Listowel, on Wednesday, September 25, at 2:00 pm.
The Perth 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, social insurance number) or payment via gift cards for a product, do not provide the information and hang-up the phone and block the phone number. Legitimate organizations do not receive payments by gift cards of any type.
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.
More tips are available via the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre here: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
