Residents lose thousands to scams in Huron County

March is Fraud Prevention Month. (File)

Huron County OPP are warning residents to protect themselves from fraud, after about $55,000 was lost to two recent but separate scams.

A South Huron resident fell victim to a “Grandparent Scam” in early March.

Police said they were contacted by an elderly South Huron resident on March 20, who advised that they were scammed out of $40,000 during the first week of March.

The victim explained to police that they had allegedly received a phone call from someone stating that they were an RCMP officer and had the victim's grandson in custody following a motor vehicle collision where drugs and a gun were seized.

The victim sent $8,000 in cash by courier after the scammer said their loved one would be released on bail.

Following this, the victim received another call from the scammer who advised that the victim needed to send an additional $32,000 for their grandson to be released from jail. After the victim sent the wire transfer, the scammer allegedly made further calls to the victim advising them that the matter was still before the courts.

The victim contacted the OPP when they realized they had been scammed.

OPP are also investigating a report of a phone scam where the fraudster posed as a bank employee.

On March 20, Huron OPP was contacted by a Central Huron resident who reported losing almost $15,000 from their bank account.

The victim explained to police that they were contacted by phone by someone posing as a bank employee who needed the victim's banking information. The victim was convinced that the caller was legitimate and provided the information.

The victim later discovered that almost $15,000 had been stolen from their line of credit account.

If you fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, contact your local police service to report the crime and report it to the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501 or online on the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), even if a financial loss did not occur.