Guelph police report that a 65-year-old Guelph woman lost approximately $40,000 last month in a gift card scam.
On Tuesday, the woman attended the police station to report the fraud.
She was contacted by phone in mid-December by someone claiming to represent her bank and asking for her help to catch individuals who had compromised the victim’s bank account.
She logged into her accounts online and allowed the caller to remotely access the accounts. Over the next two weeks the victim purchased approximately $40,000 in prepaid Visa cards and provided the serial numbers. She received several deposits she believed were reimbursements, before realizing the amounts had been transferred from another of her own accounts.
Guelph police remind the public that no police officer, bank or government official will ever instruct you to purchase and send gift cards or submit payment via Bitcoin.
