South Bruce OPP are reminding residents to look out for scams and other cons as March is Fraud Prevention Month.
Police also say that more than $72,000 has been sent to scammers last year by those living in Southern Bruce County.
Cons and scams are attempted daily through online platforms, by phone, by letter mail, or by fax.
OPP warns that fraud is a multi-million dollar enterprise that will only end with scammers making money.
Police are sharing the main “tools” of con artists:
– Spoofing
Appears to be contact from a friend, a legitimate company, or even a branch of the government, but it’s not. They can manipulate caller ID to display a number they want. To avoid the scam: end the call and connect with the real person, company, or government department. If it’s an email, double-check the address you can reply to in order to see what address shows up.
– Urgency
The “act now,” “limited time offer,” or “click now.” The scammer doesn’t want you to consider the offer as suspicious. To avoid the scam: time is on your side. Verify the contact before you go any further.
– Emotional manipulation
Con artists will play on your emotions to get your money. Romance scams, emergency scams, grandparent scams, charity scams — all are examples. To avoid the scam: be suspicious when they play on your emotions. Check out the Anti-Fraud Centre’s A-Z index of scams, as it may be a listed scam.
– Pop-ups
Boxes that appear on your computer or device screen: “you’ve won a prize,” “your device is infected,” etc; a toll-free number is provided for you to call. To avoid the scam: install anti-virus, and pop-up blockers, clear your cache, and block cookies — when possible. Don’t use public wi-fi, particularly for online banking. Never call the number in a pop-up.
The South Bruce OPP are also offering some times to keep yourself safe:
– If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
– Remember that you can’t win a contest that you didn’t enter in the first place
– If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Don’t provide any remote access to a “tech” that calls you out of the blue
– Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone
– Your best defence is to verify any unsolicited contact. Unsolicited means you didn’t ask for it
