Senior Scammed Out of $320K in Gold Bars

A senior from Perth County has lost $320,000 due to a computer pop-up scam, according to police.

Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are now seeking help from the public to identify the suspects who collected $80,000 in cash and 100-g gold bars valued at over $240,000 from the victim’s home as part of the scam.

Authorities report that the scam started in November 2024 when the victim clicked on a pop-up window on their computer. The pop-up instructed her to call a number provided, which led her to someone pretending to be a Microsoft representative. This impostor claimed that her finances were compromised.

The police explained that the scammer guided the victim to withdraw cash and purchase gold bars from an online retailer.

Jill Johnson, a spokesperson for Perth County OPP, mentioned that after the gold was delivered to the victim’s residence, suspects arrived at her house to pick up both the cash and gold.

“[The victim] believed that they had to withdraw their money and keep it safe,” Johnson stated, adding that those collecting the money told her they would deposit it at the “Bank of Canada” for safekeeping as a favor.

Johnson noted it’s rare for scams to involve actual gold bars.

“It’s not a common scam to include gold bars. We’ve seen everything from gift cards and cash-obviously different things like that-but this is definitely unique.”

Provincial police hope members of the community can assist them in identifying individuals who were seen taking gold and cash from the victim’s home.

The suspects are described as men aged between 25 and 35 years old, short in height with short dark hair.

The police say these men were spotted driving a white Lexus sedan along with a smaller dark-colored sedan during their pickups.

Millions Lost Due to Fraud

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre states over 30,000 people have fallen victim in 2024 alone, totaling $503 million lost through various fraud schemes-from romance scams to identity theft.

Det. Const. John Armit is part of OPP’s economic crimes unit within their anti-rackets branch and financial crimes services.

He mentioned there were 460,000 calls made last year to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; however, they can only handle about 250 calls each day.

Armit emphasized how important it is for victims to share their experiences regarding scams.

“By posting stuff about these bad actors, I think it’s naming and shaming,” he said.

“We’re not going to arrest our way out of cyber crime or fraud. Prevention is our best tool for protecting citizens but also reporting it so we can disrupt it.”

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