Senior loses over half-a-million dollars in romance scam
(Getty Images)
Wingham, Ont. -
A Huron County senior is out $700,000 after getting caught up in a romance scam.
Ontario Provincial Police say they were alerted to the scam by the victim’s daughter Wednesday afternoon. They’ve since learned the victim met the scammer online in 2018 through a messenger service.
The scammer claimed to be a surgeon working for the United Nations, and at one point told the senior they’d been abducted by a terrorist organization and needed money to pay his ransom.
The scammer was also sent money to cover the cost of surgeries, medical treatment, flights and other “imagined” emergencies, OPP say.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, 620 Canadians were scammed out of nearly $20 million in 2020 alone.
The OPP have some tips on how to protect yourself against scammers:
- be suspicious when someone you have never met in person professes their love to you
- if trying to set up an in-person meeting, be suspicious if they always have an excuse not to meet
- do not share personal or financial information with anyone you have just met online or in person
Anyone who needs to report a scam/fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
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