Beware of "romance scams," say Huron OPP

By: Huron County OPP  February 11, 2015  1377

(HURON COUNTY, ON) – The OPP is warning all citizens to be on the look-out for on-line fraudsters engaged in “romance scams.” According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, in 2014 alone, Canadians lost $13,736,678 to this scam.
 

Fraudsters steal photos on-line and use dating sites and social media to lure victims into sending money for various reasons. Fraudsters have shown their willingness to invest time into forming false relationships with unsuspecting victims in order to gain their trust and steal their money.
 

These perpetrators will send small enticing gifts to prove they are genuine. They will even express a desire to meet in person, even though they are usually a long distance away in another country. Having gained the victim’s trust, the perpetrators will ask for flight money to visit, or claim to have a personal emergency in which they will ask the victim to send money!

Don’t be a victim! Here are some quick ways to avoid being victimized.

• Be suspicious of anyone who professes his/her love to you quickly over the Internet
• Never, under any circumstances, send money for any reason
• Be careful of suspects working overseas, as this provides numerous reasons for them to ask for money
• If you receive a “pay cheque” or any other means of payment from the suspect, who asks you to cash it and return the outstanding portion of the funds, don’t do it - it’s likely a counterfeit cheque and you’ll be responsible for any bank fees that result

If you have any questions or concerns about this scam or any other type of scam, contact your local police agency immediately. You can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). 

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