Three Norfolk County residents defrauded of over $150,000

File photo of a hacker on a keyboard. (alexsl / iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Norfolk OPP have issued community warnings after a series of scams were investigated over the weekend, and cost residents more than $150,000 in combined losses.

Police say that one resident lost $9,500 in a tech support scam investigated on Saturday, another lost $53,000 in a crypto currency scam on Friday, and a third lost $90,000 in an online trading scam on Sunday.

The large losses in the online trading scam took place over several months, and saw the victim invest funds with intention to withdraw them. However, the victim found that they were unable to withdraw their funds and contacted police. A similar scheme took place in the crypto currency scam, and the tech support victim provided remote access to their computer, which the fraudster used to withdraw funds from their bank account.

In two of the three cases the victims responded to advertisements, and in the tech support scam the victim was contacted by phone.

Police say it’s important to never give remote access to your computer unless it is someone you know or trust, and to be cautious of unsolicited phone calls.

When investing, make sure you do your due diligence - and remember, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.