NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE SERVICE
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On Wednesday, May 2, 2018 around 10 a.m., South Simcoe Police Service officers responded to a call from an 18-year-old Bradford woman regarding a suspicious financial transaction. The young woman said she met a man named 'John Murphy' on an adult dating phone app known as Sugar Daddy.
The service is for young women to meet older men for relationships. The woman said they entered into an agreement where she would send Murphy photos of herself in exchange for money. She sent Murphy her bank account number and password. The woman became suspicious when on May 1, 2018, $9,500 was deposited in her account.
Murphy asked her to send $4,000 to a charity and keep the rest for herself. Police confirmed this was a case of overpayment fraud. The scam tricks people into sending back some of the 'extra' money the scammer sends. Victims later discover the cheque or money order was fraudulent. The seller won't get any of the funds promised and winds up handing over some of their own money to the scammer. The bank will trace the fake payment from overseas.
South Simcoe Police Service wants to make the public aware of this very popular fraud. If something sounds too good to be true then it usually is. We also want to caution the public of the risks of handing over banking information to strangers you have only met online.
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