‘Hang up the phone’: Norfolk senior out more than $6,000 in Amazon scam

A Norfolk senior lost more than $6,000 earlier this month after answering a call from a fraudster posing as an Amazon employee.

In a media release, Norfolk County OPP said the victim got a call from someone claiming to work for the e-commerce company.

The alleged scammer told the victim that there was an issue with their account and that to fix the problem, they would require remote access through their computer."

The victim granted the supposed employee remote access and at that time, the suspect withdrew more than $6,400 from their bank account, according to police.

The victim, described as an elderly resident, quickly realized it was a scam and reported the incident to police just after noon on Jan. 19.

Residents should be very skeptical" when receiving calls, emails or pop-up messages stating there is an issue with any of their accounts, police said.

Those who do receive those messages or calls are reminded to not allow anyone access to their computer and to not call any phone numbers that are provided.

If an unknown number calls claiming an issue with any of your accounts, hang up the phone, it's a scam," police said in a media release.

Computer users are reminded that unless you set up the call, remote access should not be granted to your computer. Only provide personal, banking or credit card information when you're sure of who you're speaking with.

It's also good practice to change passwords frequently, added police.

For more information on scams, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or antifraudcentre.ca.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com