Ontario Provincial Police are warning people of a possible scam involving payment for services.
A Norfolk County resident contacted the OPP on Thursday to report a potential fraud. Police say that the woman answered an ad seeking a caregiver for someone with dementia and began an email correspondence with someone, during which a rate of pay was agreed upon.
The resident soon received a cheque in the mail for an amount higher than one agreed upon, along with instructions for the resident to send back the difference via a money transfer. Police were then contacted after the resident became suspicious.
The OPP say overpayment scams are common. The cheque the consumer receives is usually a counterfeit cashier's, corporate or personal cheque that is made out for an amount higher than what is agreed upon to receive a service or goods. The consumer is instructed to cash the bogus cheque and send back the difference, so once the cheque comes back as counterfeit, it is charged back to the consumer's personal bank account.
OPP Constable Ed Sanchuk says such scams are more prevalent than people are aware.
"The OPP Norfolk County detachment continues to receive reports from residents stating they have been or attempted to be defrauded. Don't be a victim. Fraud is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that will only stop when the scammers stop getting money, banking information or personal information," says Sanchuk.
Sanchuk says the best way to protect yourself from this kind of a scam is to never agree to receive a payment for more than you are owed and be expected to send back the balance.
If you have been a victim of a similar scam, please contact your local OPP detachment immediately. For more information on fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.
