The Weyburn Police Service opened an investigation into fraud over $5000, reported by a woman who was scammed out of a significant amount of money in an online scam.
Deputy Police Chief with the WPS Shane St. John explains it was an example of a “love scam”.
“It was quite a bit of money. That one is a love scam, a relationship scam they're called, which are very notable. They're very, very good at pulling people in and having them believe that they're in a real relationship with them.”
St. John notes other circulating scams people should be aware of, including lottery scams, real estate scams, rental scams, or grandparent scams where someone is led to believe their child is in trouble.
“Anything that they're asking for - gift cards, Bitcoin, money up front, you should throw a huge red flag and you should contact us to make sure it's legit or not.”
The Weyburn Police Service received a total of 108 calls for service in the week of May 5 to 12.