SOUTH DUNDAS – Provincial police say a South Dundas resident is out nearly $45,000 after being the victim of a romance scam.
SD&G O.P.P. officers were notified yesterday (Feb. 17) by a person in their area who had been duped by an online dating site.
“The fraudster claimed that he needed to get a large sum of money via Bitcoin to assist him in getting a consignment box released by Puerto Rican custom authorities,” police said.
The transactions saw the victim send nearly $45,000.
The O.P.P. is reminding the public that fraudsters like to target singles and recently unattached people of all ages online through dating websites. The most vulnerable are seniors.
“In some cases, prolonged interaction with individuals has cost some victims tens of thousands of dollars before the ‘relationship’ suddenly ends, usually without ever meeting in person,” police said.