NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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The Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police have made an arrest in connection to a 'romance scam' in the City of Orillia.
In April of 2017 the Orillia OPP were notified of a suspected fraud in which the victim sent over $25,000 to the fraudster.
Police conducted a lengthy investigation into this matter. Through the investigation police identified Albert Gyamfi age 35 of Edmonton, Alberta as the suspect. The suspect in this matter was also a suspect for similar frauds in other policing jurisdictions within Ontario.
The Orillia OPP was able to arrest and charge the suspect with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime. The accused was arrested in August of 2019 and is set to appear on Dec. 24, 2019 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Orillia.
Arrests in romance scams are rare however the act itself is more common than you may think.
The Better Business Bureau claims that Canadians reported 22.5 million dollars lost to this scam in 2018 but estimate that there is 20 times that lost as most victims don't report their losses.
With more people turning to the internet to find romantic connections here are some tips that can help you recognize it's a scam and not love:
- The suitor is significantly younger than you.
- The person lives in a war torn country, overseas or works out of the country.
- They have many excuses to not video chat or meet in person.
- The relationship is moving very fast.
- They ask for money.
- They use threats of violence to get what they want.
- They want the money sent Western Union.
- It seems too good to be true.
If you are in a situation which you feel you were the victim of a fraud please contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or your local police service.
For more information on how to recognize the signs of frauds please visit opp.ca or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca
Members of the Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police are committed to public safety, delivering proactive and innovative policing in partnership with our communities.
Officers value your contribution to building safe communities. If you have information about suspected unlawful activity, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or visit Crime Stoppers at: www.crimestopperssdm.com or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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