‘Grandparent scam’ costs Elgin County resident $7,000: Police

An Elgin County resident is out of thousands of dollars after being duped into believing a caller was their grandchild in need of money for an emergency, Ontario Provincial Police say.

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Police say a fraud report is under investigation after OPP officers in Elgin County were contacted by a resident on Monday, saying they’d lost more than $7,000 in what investigators are calling an “emergency grandparent scam.”

The victim told police they received a phone call from an individual they believed was their grandchild who required a sum of money for an emergency.

Arrangements were made, and an unknown individual went to the victim’s home to pick up the cash, police said.

The individual contacted the same victim again and attempted to get another $10,000 from them but was unsuccessful due to a family member’s intervention, police said, adding that as of Tuesday the investigation was ongoing.

Impaired-driving charges after Hwy. 401 stop: Ontario Provincial Police

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Ontario Provincial Police issued a public thanks to a citizen whose call led to impaired-driving charges after a vehicle was stopped on Highway 401.

Police say OPP officers in Elgin County were contacted by a citizen who was concerned about a driver on the 401 near Howard Road in Chatham-Kent on Monday. Howard Road runs north from the highway in a rural area northwest of Ridgetown.

Police say a 42-year-old from Woodstock is charged with impaired driving and had their driver’s license suspended and their vehicle impounded.

Said police in a post on social media: “Report suspected impaired drivers; save lives.”

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