Two Ontario sisters fly to Newfoundland after mother loses $20K to romance scam
Two sisters from Ontario travelled to Newfoundland to spend time with their mom after they learned she lost $20,000 to a romance scam.
"In late July, we were contacted by a relative who said our mother had been scammed," said Pauline Harnum, who went with her twin sister Paula Harnum. Both sisters now reside in Woodbridge, Ont.
They went to see their 77-year-old mother, Elaine Harnum, who lives in a small village in northwest Newfoundland. The sisters said their mother was feeling lonely after their father died, and that she had recently been treated for cancer.
"We believe what has happened was that my mother was caught at a vulnerable time, and the scammers can be quite convincing," said Pauline Harnum.
It all started when their mother received a Facebook friend request from someone she didn't know.
"He told me he fell in love with me when he saw my picture," said Elaine Harnum.
The man also said he was a widower her age, and before long, he was texting her day and night.
"He seemed so nice, and he wanted to come here to meet me," said Elaine Harnum. "He was just so convincing, and I just went along with it. It was like I was caught up in it."
The man said his finances were tied up in a U.S. bank and asked if he could borrow money to help his sick son.
That's when the scammer told her to start purchasing Apple gift cards.
"It started with $50 gift cards, then $100, then $200, then $300 and $500. The highest amount I sent at once was $3,000," said Elaine Harnum.
In the end, she said she gave the scammer $20,000.
Romance scams remain in the top three frauds in Canada, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, with Canadians losing more than $52 million to criminals last year alone and almost $23 million in the first half of 2024.
Many scammers use social media websites to try and find lonely victims and, before long, start asking them for money. This is why Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario (EAPO) says it tries to educate seniors on the dangers of cyber fraud.
"There are so many older adults living alone and they are looking for companionship," said Raeann Rideout, director of strategic partnerships with EAPO. "We tell seniors, if you didn't initiate the conversations with someone, you must be very careful about who you are connecting with online and what you are sharing publicly on Facebook."
The Harnum family want to share their story to warn others and feel that retailers should be doing more to prevent fraud, especially when a merchant sees a senior buying large amounts of gift cards.
"If you see someone coming in and they are buying thousands of dollars worth of gift cards at the corner store, there should be an alert system, and they should have some kind of responsibility as well," said Paula Harnum.
The sisters also said websites like Facebook should be more accountable for scams taking place on their platform.
The Harnums said they are working with the RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to track down the funds, but once money is sent to a fraudster, it's hard to get it back.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Olympian, veteran, first Canadian Indigenous police officer honoured in Belgium
Alex Decoteau didn’t live to see his 30th birthday, but what he accomplished in his 29 years of life was simply remarkable.
Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke, the nation's 4th biggest killer
The majority of strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that.
Lawyers allege foreign interference in high-profile Canadian mafia deportation case
Lawyers for an alleged high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia in Toronto claim evidence is being used against him that is the product of foreign interference by Italian police.
Queen Camilla has a chest infection and will miss the U.K.'s annual Remembrance Sunday events
Queen Camilla will miss Britain's annual remembrance weekend events to honor fallen service personnel while she recovers from a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Saturday.
Decluttering your closet 'has to be easy,' here's how
Decluttering your closet can be an easy task when you follow the "one in, one out" rule according to an Ottawa specialist.
Haul out the holly! Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived in New York City on Saturday, signaling the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple.
Super giant TVs are flying off store shelves
Televisions that measure 97 inches (and more) diagonally across – a.k.a. XXL TVs – are becoming a huge hit as the cost of giant screens sinks sharply, and viewers look to replace the screens they bought during the peak of the pandemic a few years ago.
U.K. police watchdog reviews handling of Mohamed Al Fayed sex crime allegations
Britain's police watchdog said is assessing complaints over how the police handled sex crime allegations against the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Minivan and school bus collide in northeast Calgary intersection, causing bus to hit building
Calgary police are investigating a crash between a minivan and a school bus on Friday.