A new wave of scams circulating across Ontario appears more realistic than ever and includes fake home repair offers, fraudulent parking payment links and gift card tampering aimed at stealing money and personal information.
Here are three scams popping up across Ontario this month:
Fraudsters pose as legitimate contractors or city workers and pressure homeowners into paying for urgent repairs, roof work or mandatory property cleanups that are either never completed or were never needed in the first place.
Warning signs include contractors arriving uninvited, demanding large upfront payments, requesting payment in cash or bank draft and using high-pressure sales tactics.
Residents are urged to verify contractors independently, avoid agreeing to immediate work and never provide payment before confirming legitimacy.
Fake QR codes are designed to redirect users to fraudulent third-party payment websites that appear legitimate but are intended to steal personal and financial information. In a previous incident in Mississauga, officials said that QR code stickers are never used to collect payment for city-operated parking in Mississauga.
Residents are advised not to scan QR codes found on parking machines and instead follow payment instructions displayed directly on the machine or official city signage.
Anyone who believes they may have entered payment information through a fake QR code is encouraged to contact their bank or credit card provider immediately and monitor accounts for suspicious activity.
In this scam, fraudsters tamper with prepaid gift cards and place them back onto store display racks.
Once an unsuspecting customer purchases and loads money onto the card, scammers quickly redeem the balance before the legitimate purchaser can use it.
Police say the schemes often target popular prepaid cards sold at major retailers and may involve altered packaging or compromised card numbers hidden from customers.
Individuals are encouraged to carefully inspect gift cards before purchasing them, avoid buying cards with damaged packaging and keep receipts in case fraudulent activity is later discovered.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud is encouraged to contact local police and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through its online reporting system.
—With files from Declan Finucane and Steve Pecar. Cover photo via Google.ca
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