Police in Mapleton Township are investigating an online fraud that cost a senior about $250,000.
Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a report of an online fraud on March 13.
Police say the victim met a person online who asked them to purchase gift cards from local businesses over several months, and share the numbers.
The victim then suspected they were being subjected to fraudulent activity 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," stated a media release from OPP. "Warning signs to look out for when receiving unsolicited messages include Emails, text-messages, 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."
OPP warn residents to never provide anyone with any personal or financial information.
The Wellington County OPP is continuing to investigate and is asking that anyone with any information regarding this incident can contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.csgw.tips. You may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.
