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HB NEWS FRAUD AND SCAMS ON THE RISE IN HALTON POLICE SHARE WAYS TO AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com The following is part three of a four-part Halton series on crime in the re; Next week, see part four fo- cusing on residential break- ins. A Halton woman is shar- ing her family's brush with a grandy nt scam in or- der to help others avoid fall- ing victim to similar schemes. Sydney, who for safety concerns didn't want to share her last name, said she recently received aflur- ry of calls er great aunt one morning, Peewee she was doing errands, she couldn't md until she got home about two hours later. "I called her back, and thei first serrate she said tome ing on? Is he OK? 7 "she recall her elder- ly aunt frantically about her brother after hav- ing received a call from someone posing as him and asking: oe money. poster apparently told the d unt that he had been held for bail following a text-and-drive incident, but a it utgethold ofother family ‘After a sat check, Syd- ney assured the aunt that her brother, who lives next door, was doing fine. Feeling relieved that the family dodged th cam Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). When receiving a call from someone claiming to be a family member — typ- ically pretending to be i inan she was still a little con- cerned that the perpetrator seemed to know her broth- er’s and mother's names. "What freaked us out was how much information he had aboutus," she said, later putting it down to an online obituary as the possible source of information. More Canadians are fall- ing victim to scams target- ing seniors and vulnerable citizens, with reported loss- es of $380 million in 2021 —a historic high, according to Canadian Anti-Fraud Contre Halton police, in partner- ship with Crime Stoppers of Halton, held a prevention seminar recently to raise awareness about 8 scams and frauds in Halton Hills and across the region. At the online seminar, Det. Const. Lorena Mallin- son listed grandparent scam — or emergency scam —among the most common ones. ‘The fraud spectrum also includes scams related to lotteries and contests, dating and romance and the important " "A lot th peonls get wor- ried about their child or the the grandchild thinking that theyre in trouble or at somebody else, and they'll do a lot of things that the grand or the lawyer says to do. Just remember that these calls aren't likely to be real. It's a scam," the detective said. She said a legal entity wont ever ask people to ash or use a money transfer service. In the case ofa bail hearing, she said it's either done at the court- house or more recently on- " yuld never ask you to keep it secret and we would be more than happy to have you contact “us to try ested detective also sug- sted hanging up and call- ing the family member: ¢ di- rectly to verify information, and not to give any rato information away. The seminar also dis- FRAUD PREVENTION TIPS «Don't trust caller ID. scammer can easily do what's. called spoofing to make it look like a call is coming from someone else. + Don't be afraid to say no. + Don't be rushed into doing anything. Do research and do a Google search on names, phone numbers, and businesses if not sure. «Never give out personal information. * Don't use the same password for different accounts and try to create longer, complex passwords. There are many apps, such as 1Password, that can generate passwords and store them safely. For advice, contact Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501) or Halton Regional Police — Fraud Intake Bambang Sadewo/ Metroland (905-465-8741). Det. Const. Lorena Mallinson warns Halton residents about the increase in phone scams. tant for wetims of fraud to more complex ulators. Soin Ontario, that's speak out fone involving business- _ the Ontario Securities Com- Plone don't be afraid or es, including investment mission," said Barkhouse. eml issed to report it," frauds. Det. Const. Kevin Bark- house said that fraud involv- ing cryptocurrency is get- ting very popular. In Halton alone, there have been 57 re- ports of cryptocurrency fraud, totalling $8.3 million in losses. The fraud typically in- volves people receiving un- solicited calls about making investments in a cryptocur- rency, promising unrealisti- cally high returns with no risl "Check the legitimacy of the investment with your provincial or territorial reg- When it comes to busi: nesses offering air duct cleaning services or 01 omen door-to-door sales that often ressure tactics to get people to sign contracts, Barkhi ds resi- dents they have the right to not let anyone into the house. “Ask them to leave and then you can definitely call us and we can have them up and leave," he said. "Call the company yourself to make an appointment i you weren't expecting the a sing the seminar, Barkhouse said it's impor- he said. “Even if you didn't lose money, it's good to this information with people. And a lot of times when these things are hap- pening, some of these scam- mers will pressure you not u with your family or friends." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As part of Fraud Prevention Month, we wanted to let residents know about some of the m« common scams and. Srauds and share some prevention tips. Contact us - Marsh & ASSOCIATES (519) 853-0113 | 1 full time or 2 part time Accountants Salary depends on qualifications INH UONEH - dl UL | 2 a Fy 2 a S = = a 3 s 2 Ps iS 8 | edaamen@bellnet.ca | rmarsh@bellnet.ca