Resident Sends $60,000 To Scammer #CrimeDoesPay

Source: Area OPP
Date: Tue Jan 6 06:15:26 MST 2026

(HURON COUNTY, ON) � The Huron Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating a recent romance fraud in Huron County. A Bluewater resident has lost over $60,000 to the scam. This latest incident involved an online dating app with an unknown person claiming to have financial problems, needing assistance. The fraudster convinced the 58-year-old victim to send multiple monetary amounts via e-transfers and Bitcoin ATM machine deposits over a three month period.

From August 30th to December 29th, 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, nationwide, there have been over 23,000 fraud victims that have reported their losses to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre. These losses total over $544 million.

In 2024, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), fraud reports totalled a staggering $647 million in Canadian victim losses.

NOTE: It is estimated that only 5-10% of victims report scams and frauds to the CAFC or law enforcement.

How to protect yourself?

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.
Learn more tips and tricks for protecting yourself.
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.

Area OPP

21 Year Old From ACW Arrested
31 Year Old From Arthur Arrested
Richard BLACHA
Hwy 21 Drunk Driver Charged
Kincardine Meth Bust � Mark HOLTBY
35 Year Old Backs Into Police Cruiser & Isn�t Executed #StillCanada
65 Year Old From Mount Forest Arrested
Gordon SNYDERS � Failure To Comply
17 Year Old Facing Impaired Charge
63 Year Old Vs Hydro Pole
21 Year Old Arrested In Kincardine
OPP Crack Down on Uninsured, Unlicensed, and Suspended Snowmobile Riders
RICHARDSON Arrested Again
HICKEY Arrested For Drunk Driving
Jaydon BELLEAU � Impaired Driving
49 Year Old From Owen Sound Arrested
Another Local Hero Stands Up To Abuser #ItsTime #StandYourGround
62 Year Old From Central Huron Arrested
Evan GUEST Arrested In Clinton
Erin LANGRIDGE � Drunk Driving
29 Year Old From Owen Sound Arrested
Anthony DILLON Arrested Following Snowmobile Incident
Officer Assaulted � Suspect Released #BrokenSystem
Resident Sends $60,000 To Scammer #CrimeDoesPay
Marc LAPALME � Drunk Driving

North Perth











Perth District Health Unit











Huron County


























South Huron











North Huron











Wingham Police Service











© 2015 GFP. All Parties are to be presumed innocent. Note: We archive all police press releases and make them available to the public. If you were listed in press release in error, please contact the police detachment that issued the PR and request a correction. Press releases will not be deleted from our archive. If your charges were dropped, it does not change the historical fact that a PR was issued.