Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Brant County Detachment are investigating a fraud after a Brant County resident reported being defrauded $1000 during a Kijiji transaction.
On Saturday August 13, 2022, Brant County OPP responded to a report of a fraud involving an online transaction. A Brant resident sent an e-transfer to purchase a boat that was seen in a Kijiji ad. The buyer was sent to pickup the boat at an unrelated address where it was discovered the sale was not legitimate. The investigation is ongoing.
The Brant County OPP recognize that while online classified marketplace transactions involving new and used goods are popular with the public, the practice can present a risk to buyers and sellers. In order to increase public safety and reduce crime, the OPP invites members of the public to use their detachment parking lot to facilitate property transactions arranged online.
Three parking spots have been designated as a Safe Trade zone in the parking lot in front of the building at 67 Bethel Road, Paris. These spots are marked with signs, and the public is encouraged to utilize this “community safe zone” in an effort to move online marketplace transactions away from secluded parking lots or private residences and bringing them into public places.
