SCAM ALERT: Fraudulent financial services letter

May 14, 2025

Police are advising the public of a scam that has been recently reported.

The Thunder Bay Police Service Economic Crime Unit was recently contacted and provided information about the occurrence.

 

A letter was addressed to a deceased individual, purportedly from a financial services company, advising that the individual was owed funds that had yet to be paid.

 

The letter provided a phone number to contact for the payment to be issued. The provided phone number is not visible anywhere on the company's website.

 

In addition, the letter and envelope do not appear to be legitimate, with the content of the letter not seeming to be of an expected professional standard and the letterhead not appearing to be genuine.

 

The Thunder Bay Police Service’s Economic Crime Unit is urging family members and friends to speak to those who may be vulnerable to being targeted by this type of scam.

 

For further information about various frauds and scams that may be circulating, please visit the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre online at: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm

August 1, 2025
The Thunder Bay Police Service is continuing to provide advice to the public on how to avoid being victimized by fraud. Police are encouraging people to take steps to safeguard their accounts to prevent potential scammers from gaining access. One important way to keep accounts secure is to protect ID and password information. Some recommended best practices include choosing a strong password with a combination of numbers, letters and symbols, and to use unique passwords for financial, email, and social media accounts. As well, it’s important to regularly monitor financial accounts to be able to detect any nefarious activity as quickly as possible and to report any breaches to your financial institution immediately.  The Thunder Bay Police Service’s Economic Crime Unit urges residents to speak to family members and friends who may be vulnerable to being targeted by fraud. Prevention is the best protection against fraud. If you are concerned about potential scams and want to learn more, please visit https://www.thunderbaypolice.ca/safety/fraud-prevention or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre ( http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/ ) To make a fraud/cyber crime online report to the Thunder Bay Police Service, please visit: https://www.services.tryrubicon.com/thunder-bay-police-service/online-reports/report/fraud-cybercrime