Media Release

 Thursday December 10^th, 2015

 A Lindsay woman has become the most recent victim of cold call telephone scams, after receiving a call that her son had been arrested.

Police were contacted on December 9^th, 2015 after a Lindsay woman responded to a telephone call indicating her son had been arrested. Unfortunately, police were not contacted until after the woman had forwarded $1820.00 to a party in Lebanon via a local money wiring company. The woman indicated to police that she had received a telephone call from a man posing as a lawyer who indicated her son had been arrested and in order to get him out of custody she would have to forward $3640.00 to a Lebanese address. The woman requested to speak with her son and a second male was put on the line. The call became muffled but the woman believed she was talking to her son. The money she forwarded was all that she could afford.

As part of an ongoing reminder to the public Police want to reaffirm that this is a scam! Under no circumstances would the police or a lawyer ask that you forward money to them so that a loved one could be bailed out. If someone you know needs your help to get them out of custody, you would be requested to attend at the courthouse where you would consult with the Crown Attorney to determine if you were a suitable candidate to become a surety. Even if you are approved to be a surety it is only in the most serious of criminal offences that you would be requested to provide money prior to the release of the charged person. This is always done at the courthouse not over the telephone. Most commonly, you are advised of your obligations as a surety and that the agreed upon bail money will only be requested to be forfeited if you do not uphold your obligations as a surety for the released person.