Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke. /Sarah Hyatt/MBC
Police are urging residents to practise vigilance after a recent spike in driveway and inheritance scams circulating in Northumberland.
With the warmer weather, there has been a rise in door-to-door paving and repair scams – just recently, there were two incidents in one day, explained Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke, who serves as the region’s community safety/media officer.
Clarke is urging residents to be wary of imposters posing as contractors – and like with all scams, to not bite amid pressure to decide right then and there.
And residents should never provide full cash payments for work that hasn’t started, added Clarke.
Clarke is among those echoing key safety messages recently, with hopes of preventing these crimes.
“We want to be able to protect you (and) we want to prevent crimes … especially at this time of year … the weather’s getting a little bit better, a little bit warmer, and people may be thinking about (actually) having their driveways paved or repaired in any way.”
These incidents do happen locally – and sometimes, these scammers may just be scoping out a place to see if people are home, noted Clarke.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also states online that officials are noticing an increase in reporting related to misleading home services and equipment. Victims are being contacted through ads on social media, telemarketing calls or through door-to-door salespersons.
Similarly, officials here say people should remember to research before providing any contact info and especially before signing any contracts/documentation.
Inheritance scams – also known as beneficiary scams – are also continuing to circulate, and change.
More recently, people have been getting letters in the mail – obviously, with the goal of making the ask seem more legitimate – and often targeting senior demographics, explained Clarke.
Despite these letters being delivered to personal addresses, having those details and names at times, police say residents should exercise caution.
If you do receive an inheritance letter, do not provide personal or financial information, stressed Clarke. A giveaway is when scammers are looking for an arrangement requiring you to pay a fee or sum for you to be reimbursed “for the so many millions or hundreds-of-thousands they have promised you.” (I.e. Sending money to “unlock” those beneficiary funds.)
When in doubt, police say residents should call relatives to verify information, or call police.
Despite the pressures scammers push hard to apply, it’s crucial that people don’t give into that feeling of immediacy, explained Clarke.
“This is your money, your funds – you’ve worked hard to save it, don’t let it go in a heartbeat.”
OPP also does fraud presentations for vulnerable groups (as an example,) to help people better protect themselves, et cetera.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, by the end of March 2024, Canadians have already lost $123 million to fraudsters so far this year.
Victims of fraud almost totalled 8,000 individuals, with more than 10,000 fraud reports processed as of March 31.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
