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Provincial police in Hawkesbury are warning residents to be vigilant about a new scam in the area purporting to be from the federal government.
“There are multiple victims who have paid large sums of money to the suspect, totalling approximately $30,000,” said Hawkesbury OPP spokesperson Const. Sydney Jones.
Jones said the scammers initially contacted the victims by phone and continued to make demands through text messages.
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“There are possibly other victims who do not realize they have been (defrauded), or have not yet reported the fraud.”
The message, claiming to be from a government worker, warns that the victim’s accounts have been compromised.
The message then asks victims to send money through Bitcoin ATMs to verify their bank accounts.
Police reminded potential victims to suspect they are being scammed if the caller demands immediate payment, has a phone number that closely resembles their own, or uses threatening language. Other signs to look for are if the caller requests money through gift cards and cryptocurrency or shares a link to an external website, police said.
If you believe you have become a victim of fraud, contact the police or Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 (toll-free).
You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or report the incident online at OntarioCrimeStoppers.ca.
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