Police in Essex County urge residents to stay alert to credit card scams after a Lakeshore resident lost $27,000 to one recently.
The Ontario Provincial Police started investigating on September 16 after receiving a report about the scam.
Police say the victim was contacted by someone who said they were from a local bank, advising the victim that their bank account was compromised. The caller instructed the victim to cut their credit card in half, leaving the chip intact.
Half an hour later, a man driving a white Volkswagen showed up at the victim's door to collect the card and delivered a new one.
Suspicious, the victim went to the bank.
The bank said there were withdrawals from their account in Vaughn, Pickering, Woodbridge, and Concord totalling more than $27,000.
The OPP would like to hear from anyone with information. They're asked to call 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
To protect yourself from scams, police recommend calling the bank back to verify it was a bank employee who called.
Credit bureaus do not call people randomly. Visit the credit bureau's website and contact the official phone number provided.
Online merchants will never request that you transfer funds to an external account or third party, and police say it's never a good idea to turn over your bank card.
If you received a fraudulent call, text, or email, or if you are a victim, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
