Police say fraudster tricked Sault victim by using $35K line of credit

The suspect, who called himself 'Edward,' arrived at the victim’s house in person July 26 and collected a large sum of cash from the victim, who believed they were returning money that was not theirs, police said. (Sault police photo)

A fraudster tricked a victim in Sault Ste. Marie into thinking a $35,000 deposit in their account was an accidental overpayment.

It later emerged the deposit was from the victim’s own line of credit.

The incident took place in late July, Sault police said Friday when they released a photo of the suspect, who called himself ‘Edward.’

“The victim had received a phone call from someone claiming to work for an anti-virus software company at which the victim pays for services,” police said in a news release.

“The caller, who said their name was Edward, advised the victim they had been overpaying for the service and requested their banking information so they could return $350 in overpaid funds.”

The victim provided their banking information and “received a deposit of $35,000 in their account,” police said.

“The victim received another call stating a mistake had been made with the amount deposited and the caller would lose their job if the money was not returned in cash.”

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The suspect arrived at the victim’s house in person July 26 and collected “a large sum of cash from the victim, who believed they were returning some of the money that was not theirs,” police said.

“An investigation revealed the $35,000 deposited into the victim’s account was from their own line of credit and the cash they had given to the individual was their own.”

Anyone with information on the suspect or who has security cam footage from McFadden Avenue on the evening of July 26 is asked to contact Det. Const. Wayne Taylor at 705-949-6300, ext. 389.

To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 705-942-7867 or 1-800-222-8477. You can also click here to submit information online.

“If you receive a phone call from someone requesting your information, do not provide it,” police said.

“Hang up and call your service provider with the phone number listed on your bill to verify the situation. For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud, click here.”