NEWS RELEASE WELLINGTON COUNTY OPP
(WELLINGTON COUNTY, ON) – The Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), is warning the public of recent fraud scams that has targeted senior citizens in Wellington County.
On March 6, 2025, Wellington County OPP were contacted by a concerned senior in the Town of Minto. The senior reported that they received a call from an individual claiming to be affiliated with an energy company. The caller was offering a seniors energy rebate and requested to come to the senior’s home to verify if they qualify for the rebate.
The alert senior contacted their utility companies and confirmed that it was a scam.
On March 22, 2025, Wellington County OPP were contacted by a concerned relative of a couple of seniors in Guelph-Eramosa Township.
It was reported that on March 21, 2025, at approximately 8:00p.m., two suspects attended the victim’s residence claiming to be from a water company. The victims were offered gift cards in exchange for permission for the suspects to enter the home and conduct water quality tests.
After the suspects had left, the victims discovered that prescription medication was missing.
Police believe that there may be more victims of these types of frauds.
The Wellington County OPP is continuing to investigate and is asking that anyone with any information regarding this incident can contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.csgw.tips. You may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.
If you are unsure if a salesperson at your door is reputable, police want to provide the following tips:
- Remember, you do not have to open your door. If you ask a salesperson to leave, they must leave right away. If you feel unsafe, call police.
- Ask for Identification – Reputable companies and charitable organizations use photo identification (ID).
- If they do not have identification with them or it feels suspicious, end the conversation and call police.
- Don’t give in to the pressure – If you are pressured to act quickly or enter into an agreement or research the information they provide you. Reputable sales representatives will have information packets available about their products or service.
- When it comes to providing personal information, be careful on what you share. Reputable sales representatives will never ask for your Social Insurance Number, your banking information, or passwords.
- The following link offers more tips: Door-to-door sales and home service contracts | ontario.ca
Please do not forward any funds without speaking to family members first.
You work hard for your money, so work hard to protect it. Do not hand it over to a smooth-talking con artist. Fraud is a multi-billion dollar per year business that will only stop when the con artists stop making money.
For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.
