King George Road

On Wednesday June 20, 2018 just after 1:00 p.m. Brantford Police Service received a call from a banking institution on King George Road. Employees advised that there was an unknown male inside the bank who was trying to withdrawal money from an account with identification that was believed to be false. Community Patrol Officers attended to the area where they located the accused as he fled the bank across the parking lot. The accused was arrested without incident. Officers confirmed that the identification was false and that the male was not the male he was claiming to be. Investigation revealed that the accused was currently bound by a court order with conditions. John Craig Maxwell, a 46 year old Montreal male, is charged with Fraud Over $5000, Fraud Under $5000, Personation with Intent, Utter Forged Document and Fail to Comply with Recognizance. The accused was held for a bail hearing.

Park Road

On Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Brantford Police Service received a report of a Fraud by way of a Canada Revenue Agency scam. The victim advised that he had been contacted by phone by an individual claiming to be from the CRA, that the victim owed money and that a warrant was going to be put out for his arrest. The scammer advised the victim that in order to settle his account, he would need to deposit money into a Bitcoin account. The victim, believing that the individual was from the CRA, went to his bank and withdrew funds and in turn went and deposited them into a Bitcoin account. The victim was then told that the amount he had deposited would only take care of the funds owing on his account and that he would need to deposit further funds to have the warrant canceled. The victim then went and deposited further funds into the Bitcoin account. The victim realized that he had been a victim of a scam and reported it to police. The Brantford Police Service wants to remind people that the CRA will not contact you at home and threaten you saying there is a warrant out for your arrest, nor will they ask you to pay for and settle your account with Bitcoin, Prepaid credit cards or gift cards. If you feel the person you are talking to is not a legitimate representative from the CRA hang up the phone and contact the CRA yourself.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BEING A VICTIM OF FRAUD:

• Never give out personal information or credit card information to an unknown source over the telephone and/or unsecured email

• You can stop a telephone scam by just hanging up

• When contacted about your personal accounts never click on a web link attached to the email to “verify” or “confirm”

• Confirm with family members or your bank before transferring any funds

• Educate yourself by visiting the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website at www.antifraudcentre.ca