Huron OPP report cottage check patrols; racing charge; and COVID-19 scam
By: Huron County OPP
May 7, 2020
PROACTIVE COTTAGE CHECK PATROLS
(HURON COUNTY, ON) - In response to recent reports of break-ins to some seasonal properties throughout the county, the Huron County OPP has initiated increased proactive patrols in the cottage areas.
The Huron OPP has always completed spring cottage checks, but this year, officers will be doubling their efforts to help watch over these vacant properties.
"During these challenging times when cottage owners are being asked to stay home and stay safe, we will be increasing our focused patrols along our Lake Huron shoreline,” says sergeant Russ Nesbitt. “We are hopeful our increased patrols will help prevent any additional break-ins. Additionally, we are calling on all our permanent residents to keep an eye out on their neighbour's properties. If you happen to see suspicious activity, call us right away."
Wednesday, May 6, Huron OPP officers John Hardy (left, above) and Craig Soldan completed 80 kilometres of ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) patrols, checking cottages along the Huron County shoreline in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh; photo courtesy of the Huron OPP
RACING CHARGE LAID
(ASHFIELD-COLBORNE-WAWANOSH, ON) - A 19-year-old Richmond Hill man had his licence seized and car impounded Thursday morning after he was caught by police driving well over the speed limit.
May 7, at approximately 7 a.m., a Huron County OPP officer was conducting RADAR patrols on Bluewater Veterans Highway near Young's Road, when a sedan was observed travelling southbound at a high rate of speed. The officer activated the RADAR device and measured the speed of the target vehicle nearly 70 km/h over the posted 80 km/h speed limit.
A traffic stop ensued and the driver was subsequently charged. Gurhardeep SINGH, 19, of Richmond Hill has been charged with Racing. He will now have to attend Provincial Offences Court in Goderich, June 16, to answer to the charge. His driver's licence was automatically suspended for seven days and his vehicle was also impounded for a week.
*THIS CHARGE HAS YET TO BE PROVEN IN COURT*
MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAM WITH A COVID-19 ANGLE
(HURON COUNTY, ON) - The Huron County OPP is warning citizens to be aware of the Mystery Shopper scam with a COVID-19 twist, after a South Huron resident was victimized for nearly $2,600.
The Mystery Shopper scam has been around for decades and as long as it continues to be profitable, it isn't going to go away anytime soon. During these uncertain times, as COVID-19 continues to spread globally, scammers will continue to exploit the crisis to facilitate fraud and cybercrime.
In this particular case, the victim responded to an on-line advertisement for a mystery shopper as she was looking to make some extra cash. The victim was then contacted by the fake company and was promptly hired to go shopping at various local businesses. She was instructed to document whether the stores were following COVID-19 regulations and recommendations, as well the victim had to rate her overall customer service experience with the business.
The victim was then surprised to receive a genuine-looking cheque in the mail for a total of $2,980. The victim thought it was odd to receive such a large cheque as the payment was supposed to be $400 per completed survey. The scammer then contacted the victim and informed her that the over-payment was a mistake and she was instructed to send back the excess in the form of a bank draft for $2580.
The victim ended up sending the funds to the scammer and shortly thereafter, she was notified by her bank that the original cheque had bounced. The victim is now out the money and her chances of ever getting the money back are very unlikely.
Here are some warning signs to help protect yourself:
- Be mindful of where you post your resume or who you provide your E-mail address to; scammers often use legitimate websites to seek out victims.
- A legitimate employer will never send funds and request a portion of it back.
- Do your research. A simple search on the Internet can save you thousands of dollars.
- Beware of unsolicited text messages and E-mails offering employment.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To learn more about common frauds and how to report a fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.ca or 1-888-495-8501.
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