A display of gift cards. (Photo by arvind grover from flickr)A display of gift cards. (Photo by arvind grover from flickr)
Midwestern

Bruce County resident loses thousands to gift card scam

The South Bruce OPP is advising residents to watch out for cons and scams, following reports that more than $10,000 was lost this past week in Southern Bruce County.

Police said these cons and scams are attempted daily through online platforms, by phone, by letter mail, or by fax.

According to OPP, just this past week, a con artist took $8,500 in gift cards from a Municipality of Kincardine resident by using the “Microsoft scam.”

Other cons saw $1,300 in gift cards taken from a Brockton resident, and $500 from an Arran-Elderslie Township resident.

The South Bruce OPP is asking you to be very cautious with anyone asking you to buy gift cards. This is a common tactic that scammers are using. Once you have scratched to reveal the code, and shared the code, your money is gone.

South Bruce OPP is offering you some tips to help protect you from a con artist:

  • If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. 
  • Remember that you can't win a contest that you didn't enter in the first place.
  • If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Do not provide remote access to a "tech" that calls you out of the blue
  • Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you and directs you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone.

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