Perth County OPP are urging you to familiarize yourself with various scams including the romance and dating scam.
It comes after they say a resident contacted them on Friday morning saying that they had established an online relationship with a man after meeting them on a social media website.
While they were exchanging messages, the victim says the suspect exchanged details of their history and of their employment status.
Police say the suspect asked for money after saying that several emergencies had happened and several transactions took place over the last year, where funds were forwarded by the victim totalling $20,000.
They say single or recently unattached people, often females, are among the growing number of a vulnerable population to be victimized by criminals through fraudulent means.
Tips to Avoid Being a Victim of a Romance / Dating Scam
• Check website addresses carefully. Scammers often set up fake websites with very similar addresses to legitimate dating websites. Make sure you only use legitimate and reputable dating websites.
• Never send money, or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust. A request to send money to a foreign country (using Western Union or MoneyGram) to this person you have never personally met should be a red flag.
• Don’t give out any personal information in an email or when you are chatting online. Like any scam, use your computer to your advantage. Educate yourself. Check the person’s name, the company name the addresses used, and ask yourself, “Would this be normal?”
• Ask yourself – “Would someone I have never met really declare their love for me after only a few letters or emails?”
It’s not always easy to spot scams, and new ones are invented every day.
Knowledge is power. If you want to stay on top of scams, inform yourself on how to recognize the various types of scams and protect your personal information by visiting law enforcement organizations’ websites, such as www.opp.ca, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) www.antifraudcentre.ca  or other reputable organizations.
