Guelph senior thought he was helping solve fraud case, loses $8,000 instead: police

Guelph police say a senior has lost $8,000 to a scammer who made him believe he had been assisting with a fraud investigation.

The victim received a call on Tuesday afternoon from someone claiming to be from his bank asking for help, police said in a news release.

“The victim was directed to attend two separate businesses on Eramosa Road where he bought 16 $500 prepaid Visa cards and provided the card numbers to the scammer who was still on the phone,” police said.

The service added that the victim attended a third store where the clerk told him he was being scammed and refused to sell him more cards.

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Guelph police are urging the community to be vigilant and cautious when it comes to these types of calls.

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“No police officer or government or bank official will ever instruct you to purchase and send gift cards,” police said.

Always seek advice from a family member, co-worker or trusted friend, the service added.

Anyone in this situation can also call Guelph police for help at 519-824-1212 before following through on instructions received from an unknown person.

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