A two-week long attempted donation scam of Spectrum, an organization servicing 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Waterloo Region, had “a real ick factor,” said the group’s executive director, Suzie Taka. The scam started on Nov. 25, Taka said, with an emotional email from a person claiming to be an older lesbian whose wife had recently passed away, and Spectrum had been named a $25,000 beneficiary in her will.
That is not uncommon for the group, but as communication continued, Taka said, there were inconsistencies to their story that just didn’t add up. “The initial email got us good. It was so sweet and it’s not like anything we wouldn’t expect,” Taka said.
Taka said Waterloo Regional Police’s equity, diversity and inclusion branch was called to investigate. While police confirmed they were notified about the scam, they had no further details to add. The scam began when staff received a letter from “Nicole Simpson” saying her 95-year-old wife “Laura” had recently passed and money was left to the organization.
Staff responded and after a series of elaborate emails, they received a bank draft of $65,000 from an insurance company, and then another email saying too much was sent mistakenly and to return $40,000. They had heard of the scam before, Taka said. “I know it’s also a very common one that does get a lot of folks,” she said.
Also tipping them off, Taka said, was the insurance company letter didn’t have a letterhead on it. It was also typed and s.