TORONTO – Ontario’s Conservative Party is mailing fake “invoices” to households, with a demand for a payment. Ontario Liberals will be formally requesting an immediate investigation by Elections Ontario and the Ontario Provincial Police’s Anti-Racket/Anti-Fraud Branch, in coordination with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, into the apparent scam.
The misleading document, which includes the word “invoice” in large text at the top, is similar to those used in “false billing scams” that aim to defraud vulnerable individuals. Scamming donors is straight out of the Donald Trump playbook.
“People are already struggling financially thanks to the pandemic. The Conservatives’ apparent attempt to potentially scam vulnerable people out of what little money they have left is despicable,” said Ontario Liberal Party President, Brian Johns.
“The Conservatives need to stop this manipulative scam now. I’m also calling on them to do the right thing and return any money they may have already received through this tactic to the Ontarians who worked hard to earn it.”
“Seniors and newcomers can be especially vulnerable to fraud. They need to know that these invoices are fake and that they do not have to pay. How many entrepreneurs, reeling from lengthy lockdowns, have received these fake invoices? That’s why Ontario Liberals are requesting an investigation.”
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre defines a false billing scam as “Receipt of an unsolicited invoice and demand for payment, where no product or service was requested.”
Consumer Protection Ontario advises that to report a fraud or scam, Ontarians should contact local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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