Ontario woman scammed after giving $6K to someone who asked for a ‘code word’ to get bail money

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A woman is out $6,000 after giving what she thought to be bail money to an individual who pulled up in a taxi and provided her a ‘code word’ to take the money, Ontario Provincial Police say.

Peterborough County OPP say they received a call about the fraud in Selwyn Township on Thursday.

According to police, the woman said she got a phone call from someone claiming to be a friend of hers in dire need of money, as they were just involved in an accident. They add the purported friend had been arrested and was being held for bail.

Police say the woman was given instructions on how to send the cash by someone claiming to be the friend’s lawyer, as a courier was going to come by to pick it up. She needed to know what code word the courier would use to ensure they were handing money to the right person, police add.

“An individual showed up by taxi, provided the code word and took the money,” OPP say.

Shortly after, police say the victim called her friend and realized she had just been scammed. Police did not provide any suspect information.

Peterborough County OPP say no one who is held for bail should ever contact you asking for cash to bail them out, as that is not how the country’s legal system works. An individual can be a surety as a promise to supervise an accused person while they’re out on bail, and must pay an amount of money to the court if the accused doesn’t follow their bail conditions.

Since these scams frequently happen, OPP urge residents to ask what court or police station their loved one is being held at and then call directly to confirm. Additionally, they say not to provide any personal information to strangers and to try calling their friend to confirm they’re OK.

Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact them at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.