Hay bales -- LNN

By Dori Modney/LethbridgeNewsNOW

RCMP warn consumers about prevalent online hay sale scams

Oct 15, 2021 | 10:30 AM

EDMONTON – Last month, RCMP warned of cattle rustling in the province and now they’re warning rural and farming communities to be aware of fraud that affects consumers looking to purchase hay.

Extreme drought conditions over the summer have prompted a high demand for hay which is being sold at increased costs. This may prompt farmers and agricultural workers to make purchases without taking time to properly verify or research production sources.

Recently, fraudsters have been placing listings for hay on social media and buy-and-sell platforms, requesting immediate payment before buyers have the opportunity to research the producer, see the product, or receive delivery.

Across various RCMP jurisdictions this year, groups have scammed victims out of about $64,000. With many cases potentially not being reported, this figure could be much higher.

RCMP indicate that in all reported cases of hay fraud, the maximum individual deposit sent to scammers was over $5,000, and the minimum was $1,000.

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It should be noted that in cases where consumers avoided the scam, they refused to give deposits in advance, insisted upon speaking on the phone, and only paid cash upon delivery of goods.

The following are key indicators the RCMP say will help you to identify a potential scam across online selling platforms:

• Typically, sellers will only communicate through text messaging and avoid phone conversations.
• Sellers can be located anywhere in the world and will get the attention of buyers by having a specific or specialized knowledge of hay products.
• Pricing will be attractively low and will be consistent with the previous year’s market price.
• Often, there will be an insistence of a 50% deposit but once the deposit is received, there may be excuses about delayed delivery and then communication stops.

If you, or anyone you know, suspect a scam or have been a victim of fraud, report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, or online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.