Huron County OPP continue to urge caution online after a Bluewater resident was scammed out of $60,000.
According to police, the victim began chatting with an unknown person on a dating app. The fraudster built up a relationship and claimed to have financial problems and needed assistance.
The 58-year-old victim sent multiple monetary amounts via e-transfers and Bitcoin ATM machine deposits over a three month period.
Fraud investigators with the OPP say that from August 30 to December 29, 2025, Huron OPP received eleven reports of significant fraud all over Huron County. In nine of these cases, victims believed that their money was being invested in the stock market and in cryptocurrency. Two victims fell for romance-style scams.
In the first nine months of 2025, over 23,000 people fell victim to numerous types of fraud, totalling over $544 million in losses.
Ways to protect yourself include:
Don't give out your personal information (name, address, DOB, SIN, banking credentials).
Don't accept friend requests from people you do not know.
Don't invest your money in platforms provided by people you don't know.
Be careful who you share images with. Suspects will often use explicit pictures to extort victims into sending more money.
Protect your online accounts.
Get more than one quote for home repair work and never feel pressured.
Never send money to someone you haven't met.
Don't respond to text messages from phone numbers you do not recognize.
If you fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, contact your local police service to report the crime and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or online on the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), or antifraudcentre.ca even if a financial loss did not occur.
