A Sarnia woman has been scammed out of $1,000 after receiving a phone call from a number disguised as the Sarnia Police Service.
The 24-year-old victim was told there was a warrant out for her arrest because she was involved in "anti-social activities."
Constable Nelson Amaral says the woman was scared of being deported to India and was told charges would be dropped if she gave them $1,000 in iTunes gift cards.
"She immediately went to a local pharmacy and purchased $1,000 in iTunes cards while keeping the caller on the line," says Amaral. "After purchasing the cards, the victim then went outside and read the card numbers to the culprit after which the scammer hung up the phone."
Amaral says the victim attended police headquarters and was told there were no warrants out for her arrest.
He says no police service or government agency would ever ask for pre-paid cards as a form of payment to resolve criminal charges.
You can report these kinds of scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
