Scams targeting seniors in Wellington County may be connected: OPP

Provincial police are looking into a series of scams in Wellington County that saw seniors defrauded out of thousands of dollars.

All three incidents have been reported in the last week, one on June 14 and two on June 17.

In each case, a senior said someone called them and claimed their grandson had been in a crash in Guelph that injured a pregnant woman.

The victims were told their grandson was arrested and a lawyer would be sending a bail bondsman to their home to collect money.

Ironically, the fake bondsman was named “Mark Goodman” and the laywer also claimed “Goodman” couldn’t park in the victim’s driveway, and would provide a “special password” to complete the transaction.

Two of the seniors paid the faux-bondsman, with one losing $3,000 and the other losing $7,000.

The bondsman was described as a Black man in his late 30s with an average build, dreadlocks, and was dressed in business casual attire.

Wellington County OPP think the frauds could be connected and continue to investigate.

Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact provincial police at 1-888-310-1122 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).