Two people on P.E.I. lose large sums of money to criminal scams

Eldon woman almost gets scammed after pop up ad appears on her computer - Submitted

Two Prince Edward Island residents are out thousands of dollars after being duped by criminals.

A Stratford resident sent more than $85,000 to an individual who they had met through an online dating and companionship website.

The Stratford resident had been sucked in by what the RCMP allege was “a very elaborate scam, which continued for six months, and included forging authentic-looking financial documents and travel documents.”
In an unrelated crime, a Cornwall resident in their 20s was persuaded by crooks to send more than $12,000 to someone who pretended to be an employee of the Canada Revenue Agency.

Police say these frauds are more common every day.

n a statement, police said “if you receive a call, voice mail, or email from someone claiming to be from the CRA and requesting personal information, or that you send money, you should not provide any information over the phone or by email.”

RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Baillie says that’s not the only scams on the go across Prince Edward Island.

“Other scams we have become aware of lately include someone saying that they were an RCMP officer calling a potential victim and asking for money to be sent (we never do that), and a grandparent who sent money to someone who falsely claimed to be a grandchild, and in trouble, and needing cash,” Baillie said in a news release issues on Friday.

“The best way to prevent these scams from occurring is to make the public aware of the various scams that are taking place.”

To learn more about potential frauds on the go, how to protect yourself, or to report an incident of fraud reach out to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.