NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH POLICE SERVICE
******************************
On March 6, 2020, a 62-year-old Guelph male received a phone call from someone pretending to work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who advised that they were investigating a bank for counterfeit money, and needed the male’s assistance. The male allowed the suspect remote access to his computer through a link. The suspect was then able to show the male a fictitious screenshot of $1,000 being deposited in to the male’s bank account. The male was then directed to purchase $500 worth of gift cards from a convenience store, scratch the backs of the cards and provide the suspect with the codes. The male followed through with this initial request, and this process was then repeated twice more for an additional $2,000 worth of gift cards from various stores.
The male was then directed to withdraw $8,800 from his bank account, place it in a magazine in a parcel and mail it to a fictitious RCMP lab for analysis. The male complied with this request.
The male was sent to buy another batch of gift cards, but was stopped by a store employee who advised him that it was likely fraud.
The male was able to contact his bank to have his accounts frozen, and stop the delivery of the package with it being returned to him. He then notified the Guelph Police Service regarding the incident and the investigation is currently ongoing.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Constable David Anderson at 519-824-1212 ext. 7444, email him at [email protected], leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.
The Guelph Police Service would like to remind the public to be very cautious whenever you are contacted by a stranger and that a police service will never contact a member of the public to purchase gift cards or send money in order to assist with an investigation.
******************************
