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Prince Edward County OPP warn of pre-holiday email scams

Prince Edward County OPP are warning the public about a potential scam that tricks people into giving over gift card codes over the phone. Nick Westoll / Global News

OPP are warning people in Prince Edward County of holiday-related email scams.

Police say in some instances, a scammer may email a potential victim, pretend to be a friend or family member, and ask them to buy gift cards. They ask the victim to scratch the back of the card to reveal the card’s PIN, then ask the victim to send a photo of the PIN via email.

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Kingston Senior deceived by CRA Scam

Police say this allows the scammer to make online purchases using the gift card’s PIN at the victim’s cost.

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Police also warn residents of an invitation being sent by email to attend “Law Court.” The fake subpoena is supposedly sent by a judge and has a case file number and date attached to it, claiming the victim has been involved in some criminal activity.

OPP want to assure people that subpoenas are never emailed to anyone and a signature is required for proof of delivery. The email also includes several spelling errors, which police say is a quick indication that the document is false.

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