BlackburnNews.com file photo of Windsor police Constable Rob Durling with the Financial Crime Unit. (Photo by Jason Viau)BlackburnNews.com file photo of Windsor police Constable Rob Durling with the Financial Crime Unit. (Photo by Jason Viau)
Chatham

Scam Hits Locals For $16K

After a local couple was duped out of $16,500 during a telephone scam, Windsor police are sending out an urgent warning -- don't fall victim to the threats.

Constable Rob Durling with the Windsor Police Financial Crime Unit says the fraudsters are targeting immigrants and the elderly. "They're trying to invoke fear. They're claiming that their son or their daughter was involved in a car accident, got arrested, currently in custody and they need money to get bailed out," Durling says.

He says the caller then instructs the victims, in this case ages 69 and 73, to buy prepaid cards from a nearby gas station and mail them to an address.

Durling says if you get a suspicious call, you don't have to act immediately. "We're talking about a phone call here. It's not like someone is standing in front of you threatening you. Someone is making this threat over the phone," he says. "Do your due diligence, slow down, take the emotion out of the equation and go 'Okay, my son, where is he right now?' Well, why don't you call him," Durling asks.

Within the past 30 days Durling says he's received at least 20 phone calls linked to this scam.

It's very difficult for police to track the scammers, Durling says, because they aren't local. "It poses a problem for us because now we're going outside jurisdiction asking for assistance," he says. "These people are transient , they move. It's very difficult once we get outside of Ontario to really track these people down."

Windsor police displays examples of prepaid credit cards that are used in phone scams. (Photo by Jason Viau) Windsor police displays examples of prepaid credit cards that are used in phone scams. (Photo by Jason Viau)

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