The South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police is warning residents about an ongoing fraud involving scammers impersonating local area Fire Departments.
In this scam, individuals receive phone calls from someone claiming to be from a local Fire Department. The call display may appear to show a legitimate phone number, and scammers may use the names of local area Fire Departments. The scammer will ask for a donation to help cover the costs for fundraisers, training or equipment. At this time, two incidents have been reported within the South Bruce OPP area.
IMPORTANT: Members of local fire departments will generally hold in-person fundraisers and public events. Local fire departments will not call to ask for funds over the phone.
If you believe you have been contacted or victimized, contact the OPP at anytime at 1-888-310-1122 or if an emergency at 9-1-1.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or leave an anonymous online tip at www.crimestop-gb.org where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
If you fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, contact your local police service to report the crime and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or online on the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), or antifraudcentre.ca even if a financial loss did not occur.
