ALMA – A Caledonia teen has been charged after a vehicle crashed into a house here last week.
Wellington County OPP officials say emergency crews responded to the scene, on Elora Street North in Alma on Nov. 25 at about 12:15am.
“Two vehicle occupants were transported to hospital with minor injuries,” police stated.
A 19-year-old from Caledonia was charged with careless driving and is to appear in Guelph court at later date.
Another scam
ROCKWOOD – A Rockwood resident was recently bilked out of $5,000 in a “grandparent scam.”
Wellington County OPP responded to the fraud complaint at a Rockwood home on Nov. 15.
“An unknown individual contacted the victim, pretending to be their son, suggesting they had been arrested and were in police custody,” police stated in a Nov. 27 press release.
“A second unknown individual joined the phone conversation with the victim, claiming to be a lawyer, indicating that for their son to be released from custody, the victim would need to provide a ‘cash bond’ of $5,000.”
Police say that a few hours later someone came to the victim’s home to collect the cash.
“The victim realized they had been scammed and contacted police,” stated the OPP.
The suspect is described as a brown man who identifies himself “Ahmed” and was driving a white older-model Honda CRV.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at csgw.tips.
Another one
CLIFFORD – Despite repeated warnings from police and widespread publicity about the latest fraud schemes, local residents continue to fall victim to scams.
Police say the latest case involves a Clifford resident who was defrauded of $500 by someone who claimed to be a bank representative.
“The male convinced the victim to purchase $500 worth of gift cards and provide him with the redemption code,” stated Wellington County OPP officials in a press release about the Nov. 28 incident.
“The victim attempted to purchase a further $3,500 worth of gift cards but thankfully was warned of a possible scam by a store employee. The victim then contacted police to report the scam.”
Police say anyone who receives an unsolicited phone call or message asking for personal information or payment via gift cards should not provide the information, hang up the phone and block the phone number.
According to the OPP, warning signs to look out for include:
– emails, text-messages, phone calls sent at odd times of the night;
– creating a false sense of urgency;
– spelling errors, lack of punctuation or capitals in sentences; and
– automated messages, random links or attachments, and generic business or company names.
Wellington County OPP is hosting a free fraud presentation on Dec. 10 from 10am to 12pm at the Rockwood OPP detachment.
To register email carly.mckeown@opp.ca.
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Anyone with information about any of the above incidents can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at csgw.tips.
