A Thames Centre resident, who was told they could help catch an identity thief through the purchase of gift cards, is out $9,000.
The individual received an unsolicited phone call indicating their identity had been compromised. They were then told to buy gift cards from different retailers and provide the security code on the cards to the caller as part of an alleged investigation into the identity theft.
"The victim was advised that by providing the gift cards security code, the caller would be able to track the spending habits of the identity theft suspects which would assist with identifying them," Middlesex OPP said.
The caller continued the scam for an entire month before the resident caught on and notified police on Monday afternoon.
The fraud cost the resident $9,000, police said. They are reminding people that only scammers will instruct you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers off the back of the card.
"No legitimate business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them," police said. "It is imperative to verify any unsolicited requests before you respond or provide personal information. If you feel pressured, hang up the phone or delete the sender's profile."
Last week, a Norfolk County resident lost $25,000 to a telephone scam. In that incident, OPP said the victim got a call from a person claiming to be an Ontario government employee. The fake employee told the resident they needed to pay thousands of dollars or they would be imprisoned. They were told to bring the money to a specific person at a local business, which they did.
After making the payment, the resident was contacted a second time and told they needed to pay an additional $20,000. Police were called and arrested a suspect at a business on Lakeshore Road in St. Williams. A 25-year-old man from Scarborough is charged with fraud over $5,000.
