The holiday season is infamous for scams.
Perth OPP investigated two similar incidents just before Christmas in North Perth.
One victim lost $5,000, while another is out $5,500.
Both victims received phone calls from someone claiming to be a family member in jail after a collision. They needed bail money and a lawyer told the victims that a “bondsman” would come to the house.
The person of interest attended the victims’ homes to collect cash in person.
In both instances, the person of interest is described as a black male, age 20-50, between five foot five and five foot 10 inches tall.
He was wearing all black clothing including a black toque.
Perth OPP encourages the public to stay alert and educated to reduce the risk of being a victim of fraud. Be cautious if you receive any sort of emergency phone call.
Police said in this type of emergency call, the “grandchild” or “child” on the phone might state they have broken their nose in the collision, and that is why their voice sounds different.
If you receive an unsolicited phone call or message, asking for personal information (name, birthday, address, phone number, bank information, SIN number) or payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency, do not provide the information and hang-up the phone and block the phone number.
Legitimate organizations do not receive payments by gift cards of any type.
Warning signs when receiving unsolicited messages include: Emails, text-messages or phone calls at odd times, creating a false sense of urgency, spelling errors, lack of punctuation or capitals in sentences, automated messages, random links or attachments, and generic business or company names.
