Resident warns of phone scam

 In News

A local resident is quite certain they have been the victim of a scam using voice cloning technology.
The resident, whose identity we have agreed to protect, received a phone call last week
The voice sounded exactly like that of a close relative. The conversation started out casual and then the caller said they had been in an accident and that they needed some money to pay off the other party. They asked the person to go to the bank and withdraw a large sum of cash in US funds and then send it by courier to a specific address.
Another call came in from a man who identified himself as Mr. Fisher and implied he was a lawyer. He asked if he could send a Purolator label with a Montreal address by e-mail.
After having sent $10,000 in cash, they called back and asked for another $9,000.
During the second trip to the bank, officials there became suspicious and intercepted the withdrawal.
The involved parties then met with police to report the scam and gather evidence.
Community members are being warned that the fraudsters are very clever and use sophisticated methods to trick people into sending them money.
The method is referred to as the emergency scam or grandparent scam and targets people who are willing to help their loved ones in crisis.
The victim wishes to warn the community of the scam so they are less vulnerable.
Report scams to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, or the Competition Bureau at 1-800-348-5358.

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