Over the next month, the Sarnia Police Service will share information to help residents become better informed about scams commonly reported within the community.
March is recognized as National Fraud Prevention Month.
In Sarnia, police said the most common types of fraud include grandparent scams, social media scams, cryptocurrency scams, work and repair scams, fraud resulting from theft, and phone/gift card scams.
Information on each of the listed scams can be found below.
Sarnia police said while these are the most frequently reported types of fraud in the area, there are many more that happen on a daily basis.
Incidents of fraud can be reported to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-800-495-8501.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 108,878 fraud reports in 2024, involving over $638 million in reported losses.
Grandparent scams: When a fraudster calls an older adult and pretends to be their grandchild, usually claiming to be in jail or the hospital and in need of money.
Social media scams: Sarnia police said examples of this type of scam can vary but always involve fraudsters stopping communication with the victims once money has been paid. Examples include online sellers who require money to hold items but do not provide them and fraudsters taking deposits for rental houses where the home isn’t actually available.
Cryptocurrency scams: This type of scam also has many forms. For example, victims are asked to invest in cryptocurrency and promised a large return, victims are told their bank is locked and they needed to send money to unlock it, or victims provide their credit card information to fraudsters over the phone or by clicking links and inputting their credit card information.
Work and repair scams- Someone offers services for money, but the work is never completed.
Fraud resulting from theft- When stolen bank or credit cards are used.
Phone/gift card scams- Fraudsters call victims, claiming their card has been compromised but that money can be returned with the purchase of gift cards. Gift card numbers are then provided to fraudsters over the phone.