On December 19, 2020 at 2:53 p.m., the South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police received a fraud report from a resident in the Township of Arran-Elderslie. The scammer called as a representative of a computer company and "fixed a major computer issue". The scam was successful in that $13,000 was sent to a con artist.

Modern, tech-savvy scammers have the ability to create very convincing scams. They won't hesitate to use the name of a legitimate company in an effort to gain your trust and trick you into paying them.

Always be cautious with unsolicited email, phone calls, letters, even visitors at your door. Unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it. Be certain who you are dealing with before you ever consider sending money to anyone.

Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495 8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.

The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

source: media release, South Bruce OPP