WELLINGTON COUNTY – Local police continue to lay intimate partner violence charges across the county.
Those arrested include a 38-year-old resident of Chatsworth, who was charged – with assault, mischief, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and failing to comply with probation order – in relation to an incident in Arthur on Feb. 28.
The accused is to appear in Guelph court at a later date.
Shoplifting charges
MOUNT FOREST – Police have charged a Mount Forest man with theft in two recent shoplifting incidents.
Wellington County OPP officials say that on March 1 at about 1pm, officers responded to thefts at two retailers on Main Street North in Mount Forest.
“It was reported that an individual had shoplifted approximately $80 in groceries from one store and approximately $250 in electronic items from the second store,” police stated in a March 3 press release.
A 51-year-old man from Mount Forest was charged with two counts of theft (under $5,000).
He is to appear in Guelph court at a later date.
Plethora of charges for driver, business
WELLINGTON NORTH – Police have laid 21 charges against a Kitchener man and a business after a traffic stop here last week.
Wellington County OPP officials say that on Feb. 25 at about 11am police pulled over a commercial vehicle on Highway 6 in Wellington North Township.
A 31-year-old from Kitchener was charged with 15 driving offences, including having a defective horn and no muffler, driving with a load not properly secured, improper tires and improper brakes.
The business the driver works for was charged with six offences, including overweight vehicle and failing to ensure performance standards are met.
Both are to appear in Guelph court at a later date.
‘Makeshift’ window
PUSLINCH – A Cambridge man has been charged after police discovered a “makeshift side window” on his vehicle.
On Feb. 24 at about 10am, Wellington County OPP officers pulled over a pickup truck on Wellington Road 32 in Puslinch Township.
A photo supplied by the OPP showed the vehicle had most of its front door, driver side glass window replaced by clear plastic material secured to the window and vehicle door with tape.
A 59-year-old from Cambridge man was charged with failing to have a clear view to the sides of a vehicle.
Fraud prevention
OTTAWA – March is Fraud Prevention Month and the OPP has launched its 2025 campaign: “The Masks of Fraud.”
“This year’s campaign reveals the deceptive techniques used to commit fraud in today’s digital age,” police stated in a press release.
“It aims to equip Canadians with the information, tools and strategies they need to recognize, reject and report fraud.”
In 2024, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) received fraud reports totalling $642 million in victim losses, surpassing the previous record of $578 million (2023). Cyber-Enabled fraud accounted for 75 per cent of reported losses.
According to the CAFC, the five most common frauds impacting Canadians were:
– investment fraud, representing $310 million in reported losses in 2024 ($102.7 million in Ontario);
– spear phishing fraud (business email compromise), $67.2 million in reported losses ($39.5 million in Ontario);
– romance fraud, $58.4 million in reported losses ($19 million in Ontario);
– job scams, $47.1 million in reported losses ($14.8 million in Ontario); and
– extortion fraud, $21 million in reported losses ($6.8 million in Ontario).
For more information on fraud visit opp.ca and sfo.opp.ca.
