Sudbury resident scammed out of $20K, suspect from southern Ont. charged

A 21-year-old from southern Ontario has been charged with several offences after a victim from Greater Sudbury was tricked into giving him $20,000.

The man was arrested when he posed as an RCMP officer and tried to get another $10,000, Sudbury police said in a news release Tuesday.

The investigation began Nov. 25 when the victim's bank became suspicious of the large withdrawals and contacted a family member.

It emerged that the victim received an 'alert' on their phone Nov. 19 telling them to call the RCMP at a fake number because a fraud had taken place on their bank account.

"The community member called the number, was advised they owed $20,000 and that telling anyone about the fraud would jeopardize the investigation," Sudbury police said.

"The community member was instructed to withdraw $20,000 in cash, put it in a box and meet an 'undercover officer' with the funds. On Nov. 21, the community member met the individual and handed over the money."

The fraudster tried to steal another $10,000 by contacting the victim again Nov. 25 and told them an 'undercover officer' would visit them to collect the money later in the day.

"A family member had been contacted by the bank due to the large, suspicious withdrawals and there was a concern the community member had been a victim of fraud," police said.

"The family member attended the residence and contacted police. While at the residence, the community member received a call from the fraudster advising that the 'undercover officer' would be attending to collect the money."

The suspect was arrested around 6:20 p.m. when he arrived at the Regent Street residence.

He is charged with two counts of fraud of more than $5,000, impersonating police and driving without a licence.

He has been released on an appearance notice with a court date of Jan. 29.

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"We ask that community members take the time to have conversations with vulnerable loved ones regarding frauds and how to best protect themselves," police said.

"As a reminder, law enforcement in Canada will never ask you to pay money for bail or to pay back funds if you are the victim of a fraud."

For more information on recent frauds and scams or to report fraud, click here.

If you are the victim of fraud (loss of funds), you can report it through Sudbury police's online reporting system or by calling our non-emergency number 705-675-9171.