Central Frontenac fraud investigation locates scammer in Leamington

Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Frontenac Detachment were called to a Central Frontenac Township address to investigate a potential fraud on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2021.

According to a release from OPP, it was determined that on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2021, a local resident had been contacted via phone and informed that they had won a prize. The victim was then instructed to purchase pre-paid credit cards and other items and ship them to a specified address in order to process the prize. OPP said the victim sent the items and then realized that this was in fact a scam and contacted police.

Through further investigation, members of the Essex County OPP Crime Unit were engaged as the phone call originated from an address in the Municipality of Leamington, OPP stated. On Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, a warrant was executed at an address in the 900 block of Highway 77 in the Municipality of Leamington.

As a result of the police investigation, Jimmy Lee Anthony Love, 36-years-old, of Leamington was charged with:

• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000.

Love was held pending a bail hearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor.

“Scammers are increasingly using email and other online social media applications as a means of communication to target potential victims,” OPP said in the release. “The OPP are warning all residents to be on the lookout for unsolicited messages claiming that you have won a prize as a result of being a new account holder of any new media platform that was recently downloaded to your devices. If you receive a suspicious message from anyone claiming that you won a large sum of money or new vehicle, simply delete the message and do NOT send any money.”

Anyone with information regarding this or any other incident is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.catchcrooks.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.