Victim loses $14K in scam involving phony doctor, fake COVID vaccine work

 

Police in Southwestern Ontario are warning people of a scam involving a person posing as a doctor selling a car after one victim was bilked out of $14,000.

The warning comes after the OPP in Oxford and Norfolk counties investigated cases involving an online ad in which the seller claims the vehicle was left behind at the airport in Halifax before the doctor took a plane to the United Kingdom to work on COVID-19 vaccinations.

The ad also says an escrow company was hired to manage the sale and shipping of the car. In the Oxford County case, the victim wired about $14,000 for the vehicle after signing a sales contract but the car never arrived, police said.

The vehicle had previously been sold from a dealership in the Toronto area and scammers were illegally using the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) to advertise it online, police said.

Police are also advising people to always try and make deals locally, to never buy or sell a vehicle to someone unwilling to meet and never buy a car you haven’t seen in person.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/victim-loses-14k-in-scam-involving-phony-doctor-fake-covid-vaccine-work