Over $1 million was recently scammed from three Sarnia residents.
According to Sarnia police, each is over the age of 60.
Police were first contacted by a 67-year-old woman on September 24 who allegedly handed over $350,000 to a man after they became friends on Facebook.
The two had been chatting for over a year with the man claiming to be a doctor with “Doctors without Borders.”
The woman eventually believed the man was her fiancé and was being dispatched to a war zone. She was asked for the money claiming he needed to evacuate the area but couldn’t access his own money.
On September 26, a 63-year-old man reached out to police believing he had been scammed.
He said he was contacted online by a person claiming to be a woman. The man was encouraged to send nude pictures and received some in return.
Soon after, he was contacted online by someone posing as a “U.S. Bureau Interpol” who threatened to arrest them because of the photos.
He sent that person money and the previously mentioned woman, losing nearly $53,000.
Also on September 26, police were called to a bank after employees realized a 61-year-old man was being scammed.
He was looking to withdraw $130,000 after believing he had won $50 million. The man was told by a woman that he needed to send money to claim his winnings.
He was also scammed into sending over intimate photos. In total, the man lost $710,000.
Sarnia police say tracking down the perpetrators will be extremely tough as many scammers live in different countries.