February 27, 2026 An eastern Ontario resident who lost money in a tech support fraud case may recover part of the funds after the United States Secret Service intervened, Ontario Provincial Police said. The victim had been persuaded by an impersonator to grant remote access and authorize multiple wire transfers under the false claim of a banking “overpayment.”
Police say the victim, an Oxford Mills resident, received a call on Feb. 19 from someone posing as a Bell Canada representative, referencing a recent fibre-optic installation and suggesting a router upgrade. According to the OPP, the caller instructed the victim to download remote access software, then claimed a virus had been detected and required escalation.
“The victim was instructed to download remote entry software to her device, at which point the bad actor informed the victim that a virus had been found, requiring the matter to be escalated,” police said in a media release.
After gaining access, the caller directed the victim to log in to online banking. The OPP said the suspect manipulated account information to create the impression of an overpayment and instructed the victim to visit her financial institution multiple times to wire funds to a U.S. bank.
An OPP officer contacted the U.S. Secret Service regarding the transfers. The agency then reached out to the receiving U.S. financial institution. “As a result, the victim’s financial institution will be working on recovering portions of the funds,” police said.
Authorities describe the incident as a tech support fraud, a scheme that often begins with unsolicited calls, pop-ups that appear to freeze a device or fake invoices sent by email. Once contact is established, suspects typically request remote access and may demand payment or attempt identity theft.
Police advise the public to treat unsolicited calls or pop-ups claiming malware infections with caution, avoid clicking unknown links, and refuse remote access to unknown individuals. They also recommend independently verifying service providers by placing outbound calls using official contact information.
