Fraud Alert: Can your HVAC save you money?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 22, 2024   9:18 am

(Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Fraud Unit, and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are warning residents of the greater Ottawa area about fraudulent calls where someone posing as an investigator offers to inspect your Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment to save you money. 

In this type of fraud, a scammer claiming to be from Consumer Protection Ontario or something similar will claim that they can assist you in removing Notice of Security Interests (NOSIs), more commonly known as liens, to lower your monthly payments.

The fraudster may also propose to attend your property and take photos of your HVAC to determine if you qualify. The suspects use the opportunity to canvass your home and indicate they can help you get out of payments or consolidate your debt through a short-term high-interest loan or mortgage against your home (see more about this scam).  

Before you let anyone in your home, do your due diligence, check directly with the service provider that is supposedly contacting you.

If you have received such a phone call, please contact Consumer Protection Ontario. They can be reached toll-free at 1-800-889-9768 or toll-free TTY at 1-877-666-6545. You can also contact them via their website at Ontario.ca/scams

If you were a victim of this scam, please make a report online with the Ottawa Police Service or contact the Ontario Provincial Police. 

We also encourage anyone who has been affected by the fraud to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone at 1-888-495-8501 (toll-free).

If you need help determining whether something is a scam or not, you can always contact our partners at Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario by dialing 211.

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CONTACTS:

Media Relations Section, Ottawa Police

Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366