Making a sick call to work resulted in a local person getting sucked into an expensive scam, according to the Brant OPP.
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Police are bailing the public after the person lost $2,000 in the fraud, which is a version of the gift card scam.
After the person called in sick to their workplace, they got an email on their work account claiming to be from their supervisor.
The email asked them for their personal email address for discretion and then requested they purchase some gift cards as a way of rewarding their colleagues for their hard work.
The person complied, buying four $500 Amazon gift cards from a local retailer and sending the security codes in an email.
When they got another suspicious email from the same address, the person contacted their supervisor and found out the emails had been part of a scam.
The OPP reminds people to pause before clicking online.
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Always confirm if you get an unusual request for money, gift cards or personal information by contacting the requester directly.
Police also say to be cautious of all unsolicited emails, especially by watching for inconsistencies, like mismatched names or email addresses.
Report suspicious activity to the local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Educate others, like friends and family, about common scams so fraudsters can’t exploit people’s trust by using urgency as a tool.
For information on common scams and fraud prevention, go to www.antifraudcentre.ca.
If you’ve been a victim of fraud or have information about scams, call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
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