If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
That’s the message police are trying to get out following the news that a scam left a Norfolk County man out $100,000.
OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk says an “upset and embarrassed” man showed up at the Simcoe police station Monday afternoon, saying he had lost that six-figure sum over the past two months.
In April, he said, he received an alert on Facebook telling him that he had won an international lottery.
To claim his prize, he was told, he would have to forward money to pay off various fees and taxes.
“Once you see any type of indication that people are asking for money … the red flag should go up,” Sanchuk said.
“It’s a scam.”
While frauds of this nature are nothing new, the proliferation of social media means they are being brought to people in new and different ways.
Sanchuk says there have been plenty of reports of similar scams in Norfolk County, with victims ranging in age from young adult to octogenarian.
“If it’s happening here, it’s happening throughout the province,” he said.
CTV technology analyst Carmi Levy agrees, noting that frauds can occur through any website or online service – not just Facebook.
“You need to keep your eyes open when you’re using Facebook, as well as when you’re online in general,” he said.
In addition to the initial fraud, schemes like the one described above can be used to acquire personal and financial information, which can in turn lead to identity theft.
“We need to make sure that we don’t give that information out to anyone that we don’t know,” Sanchuk said.
With reporting by Marc Venema
