The Hawkesbury Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is alerting residents about fraud taking place in the area.
According to OPP, door-to-door sales have been prevalent in Hawkesbury and they are reminding residents to stay vigilant.
“Victims end up with home services they do not need or want, poor quality renovations, liens or a mortgage on their homes. Some victims may not even be aware that this has occurred,” said OPP in a press release.
In efforts to protect consumers from assertive and misleading contractors, Ontario banned some types of unsolicited door-to-door sales in 2018.
This includes sales of air conditioners, air purifiers, duct cleaning, furnaces, water filters or softeners, water heaters, as well as bundles of these goods and services, wrote OPP.
Businesses are permitted to enter a home only if initiated by the consumer, ahead of the visit, they added.
While OPP reports that these crimes are continuing, the Hawkesbury Detachment said criminals are persuasive, persistent and aggressive, in efforts to ensure a contract is signed.
In some cases, they visit the homes of vulnerable residents and often claim to be affiliated with the Ontario Government.
This past June, Ontario passed new legislation under the Homeowners Protection Act and the Personal Property Security Act to reduce this type of fraud.
Ontario Provincial Police are encouraging residents to follow the tips below, to protect themselves and their families:
- Answer your door only if you are expecting an invited guest
- Do not allow unsolicited visitors into your home, be aware of the ban regarding unsolicited door-to door sales
- Hang up on unsolicited phone calls
- Never share personal information or copies of any bills or financial statements
- Do not make decisions on the spot, investigate further
- Do not sign blank documents or contracts
- Take the time to understand what you are signing and ask questions
- Do not answer questions on a phone/video call if you are being told the answers by someone else (if someone is telling you to answer ‘yes’/ ‘no’)
- Check regularly on family or others who might be vulnerable. Monitor their financial records and flag suspicious transactions
- Talk to the bank about a vulnerable loved one to prevent suspicious withdrawals
- Understand that no renovations are free
- Visit the Canada.ca to review green grant opportunities
- Ask yourself: Why has this person offered to help? How do they know my situation?
- Consider checking your credit history online at TransUnion and Equifax
- Look up your property on the Land Registry Ontario website
- Install video cameras around your home or video capturing doorbells
According to OPP, the following are red flags and individuals should be turned away immediately:
- The person visiting you says you have won a class-action lawsuit regarding the installation of your equipment and the money can only be used towards renovations to your home
- You are told your home is now a ‘green home’ after the installation of some equipment and therefore you qualify for a grant, but the grant must be used o do renovations or add more equipment
- A financial company approaches you, unsolicited, indicating they can help you get out of payments or to consolidate your debt
- If you are told renovations are free
- If you do not have input on the renovations a company does or which materials they use
- If you are pressured to have renovations started right away
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of fraud should contact their local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 (toll-free) or report online on the Fraud Reporting System (FRS).
Residents can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or report the incident online at OntarioCrimeStoppers.ca.