On March 2, 2025, the South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were dispatched to an address in the Municipality of Huron-Kinloss, where an individual reported being victim of a fraud.
Investigation revealed that the victim had received a bill from a utilities company higher than their anticipated amount. Through conversation with a representative, the victim was led to believe that there was a processing error and was instructed to make cryptocurrency transactions to rectify the issues. The whole interaction was fraudulent, and the victim lost approximately $215,000.
The investigation has been passed over to the South Bruce OPP Crime Unit.
We urge residents to be cautious when engaging in digital currency transactions and investments. Scammers often use fraudulent documents marked with logos and wording that can appear legitimate, which leads the victim down a path of surrendering personal information and banking details under the belief they are conversing with a legitimate source.
If you receive any documentation that appears suspicious to your situation, contact the company or financial institution in person or directly by a number you know to be theirs; not the phone number or email the document advises to do, as it could be fraudulent.
For more information on fraud, you can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca
The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at www.cstip.ca, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.
