Josh Gluck says fraud is “exploding” across the Grenville County region.
Gluck is an officer with the Grenville County OPP detachment, and spoke with MyKemptvilleNow.com about scams affecting people locally.
“I think with the advent of the internet, and how connected people are, of course, there are great aspects to that, but there’s also the ability for criminals to exploit that connectivity to reach people, and take advantage of them,” he says.
Gluck is part of a “fraud team” pilot program being run by the OPP detachment, involving specially trained officers investigating scammers.
“It’s a new strategy for the OPP,” Gluck says. “We don’t have teams dedicated to this type of crime, specifically, anywhere else in the OPP, that I’m aware of.”
He says it’s been a great success so far.
“The members of the Grenville fraud team have some specialized training, and a lot of knowledge of how to follow these leads, where that may be absent in other corners of the province,” he says. “So, I think we’re really proud of the job we’re doing supporting victims and moving ahead investigations that, in times past, may have gone by the wayside.”
If you’ve been a victim of a scam, Gluck says you should either reach out to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or contact the OPP’s non-emergency line.