'This is a scam': Ornge warns of door-to-door canvassing scheme posing as them for cash donations

An Ornge air ambulance helicopter is secured on the tarmac in Kingston, Ont. on Monday June 9, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

Ontario’s air ambulance service has issued a warning of a door-to-door scam with canvassers posing as them.

Ornge said in a social media post Wednesday that it received reports of fake canvassers soliciting donations. 

So far, there have been two reports shared with Ornge that happened within days of each other, a spokesperson told CTV News Toronto. One happened in the Kennedy Road and St. Clair Avenue area in Scarborough, and the other at an undisclosed location in Ancaster.

• Download our app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

“Although a registered charity, Ornge does not solicit donations and does not canvas door-to-door. Stay vigilant and report suspicious activity,” the statement reads.

This is not the first health-care organization to have recently reported fraudulent door-to-door canvassing on their behalf.

In November 2023, a man allegedly knocked on several doors throughout Toronto’s downtown core asking for cash donations on behalf of the SickKids Foundation. The accused would wear a fake badge identifying himself as a canvasser, and would become “aggressive and physically intimidating” when challenged by those who opened their doors to him.

Earlier in February, a suspect identified as 34-year-old Kenneth Gobin was charged in connection with the alleged scam. 

Ornge is asking anyone who had, or may have, canvassers claiming to represent them visit their home to report activity to police through the non-emergency line and contact them at [e-mail] with details.