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Barrie Police are warning residents after a courier-style fraud targeted two elderly victims and resulted in financial loss.
Police say the incident occurred on Thursday, March 19th in the city’s south end, when the victims received a phone call from someone posing as a bank security employee who claimed their credit cards had been compromised. The caller instructed them to place their cards in an envelope, advising a courier would attend their home to collect them as part of an investigation.
A male suspect later attended the residence and obtained both credit cards. The victims’ financial institution later confirmed about $1,000 in fraudulent transactions had been made using the cards.
“The bank will never ask you for your PIN number,” says Detective Constable Kris Nicholson with the Barrie Police Service Fraud Unit. “If your card has been compromised, your best course of action is to confirm with your bank by calling the number on the back of your card or attending your local branch. Often, the banks will have you cut up and destroy your existing card and send you a new one in the mail. They will NEVER send a courier to your address and expect you to include your pin details inside the envelope.”
The suspect is described by police as:
- black
- male
- between 20 and 30 years old
- about 6’0″ tall
- slim build
- last seen wearing an orange reflective vest
- believed to have left the area in a small light grey vehicle.
Anyone with information related to this incident, or who believes they may have been targeted by a similar scam, is asked to contact the Barrie Police Service at 705-725-7025 and report it online.
If you have fallen victim to a fraud, you are not alone. Reporting fraud helps authorities raise awareness and prevent further victimization.
