Police beat: Man charged in theft

Man charged in theft

ROCKWOOD – On Jan. 16 at about 4:30am, Wellington County OPP responded to a report of a theft in progress at a housing construction site here.

Police say a suspect was observed loading construction materials into the back of a red pickup truck.

“Shortly after the suspect left the scene, police spotted the truck loaded with the stolen property on Wellington Road 124 near Wellington Road 27,” police stated. “The lone suspect was arrested and the property was recovered.”

John Michael Wheeler, 39, of Guelph, was charged with theft under $5,000. He is to appear in Guelph court on Feb. 19.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at www.csgw.tips.

Tips to avoid fraud

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington County Ontario OPP is reminding residents to do everything they can to avoid becoming a victim of fraud after responding to numerous calls last the weekend.

“Fraudsters are real. They will target you over the phone, online, by mail or in person and steal your money,” police stated.

The OPP is offering the following tips to help avoid becoming a fraud victim”

– create strong passwords for accounts and setup multi-factor authentication to make it difficult for others to access your accounts;

– update privacy settings on social network accounts;

– be familiar with the terms of service and how payment methods work before using them. Look for a fraud protection policy;

– never accept money and send money to a third party;

– remain current on frauds and protect others by sharing what you know;

– do not trust information on call display because it can easily be manipulated;

– do not provide your personal or financial information on demand; and

– do not open an attachment or click a link in an unsolicited email or text.