A Boblo Island couple is warning travellers about an online booking scam that left them paying more than they should have for a legitimate VIA Rail ticket. Greg Atherton says his wife was planning a trip to visit family in the Guelph-Fergus area when she searched Google for VIA Rail’s phone number. “She saw it and she said okay well this looks fine,” Atherton said. She called the number, booked a ticket from Windsor to London and made the trip without any issues. What the couple didn’t realize was that they had apparently been dealing with someone posing as a legitimate booking agent. The ticket was real. The price was not. Atherton says the ticket actually cost $82, but his wife was charged $120. The couple initially thought nothing of it. A suspicious charge The trouble began when Atherton’s wife tried to book her return trip using the same phone number. This time, she was told she would have to pay an additional $50 US, supposedly because of tariffs. She became suspicious and refused. Atherton began investigating after noticing another charge on their credit card. “So there was a ticket charge on there. And then there was another charge for $72,” he said. The couple contacted VIA Rail and learned the number they had called wasn’t associated with the railway. Their financial institution also determined the $72 charge was connected to a hotel in Wisconsin. Atherton says VIA Rail refunded the unused return ticket, while the couple worked with their bank to recover the other charges. Windsor police confirmed receiving a fraud report and determining the complainant had been victimized. “The victim’s financial institution refunded the money to her account, and she is no longer at a financial loss,” police said in a statement. A warning for other travellers Although the couple recovered their money, Atherton says the experience has changed how they approach online transactions. “We don’t trust websites. We don’t trust them anymore,” he said. Windsor police are reminding consumers not to rely solely on phone numbers, addresses or other information provided by someone involved in a financial transaction. Instead, they recommend independently verifying businesses and using official contact information before making payments. Police also warn that recovering money sent outside Canada can be difficult or impossible. Atherton hopes sharing his experience will prevent someone else from falling victim. “Be careful when you’re surfing the web,” he said. “Be careful. And, hopefully it never happens to them.” Anyone who suspects they’ve been targeted by fraud can contact Windsor police at 519-258-6111 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
