Sault Police are trying to track down a brazen fraudster who went to great lengths to con a local person into handing over a large amount of money.
Police say the scam took place in late July, when the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to work for an anti-virus software company.
“The caller, who said their name was Edward, advised the victim they had been overpaying for the service and requested their banking information so they could return $350 in overpaid funds,” says a news release issued today by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service.
Police say the victim provided the information — and then received a $35,000 deposit in their account.
At that point, “Edward” phoned back to say a mistake was made and that he would lose his job “if the money was not returned in cash.”
On July 26, police say the unknown man in the above screenshot showed up at the victim’s residence on McFadden Avenue “and collected a large sum of cash.” Police say the victim legitimately believed they were returning some of the money that was not theirs.
“An investigation revealed the $35,000 deposited into the victim’s account was from their own line of credit and the cash they had given to the individual was their own,” the news release says.
Anyone who recognizes the man in the above photo — or has security camera footage from McFadden Avenue on the evening of July 26 — is urged to contact Detective Constable Wayne Taylor at (705) 949-6300, ext. 389.
People can also provide information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 705-942-7867 or 1-800-222-8477. You can also click click here to submit a web-tip or download the P3 app.
“If you receive a phone call from someone requesting your information, do not provide it,” police say. “Hang up and call your service provider with the phone number listed on your bill to verify the situation.”
As discussed on a recent episode of our Inside the Village podcast, fraud has become a multi-billion-dollar industry in Canada. You can watch full episode HERE.