Producers warned about hay fraud in Saskatchewan

Fraudsters are committing hay fraud and scamming producers in the province, Saskatchewan RCMP warn.

The fraudsters are placing ads on social media and other buying platforms, police said in a Monday news release.They request immediate paymentbefore the buyer has a chance to see the hay or is in a position to take delivery.

According to a message from the RCMP Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory Network, several producers sent funds over, only to later find out that the scammer did not have any hay.

Chad MacPherson, the general manager of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, said because of the extreme drought conditions, hay prices have been skyrocketing. He said this forces producers to make quick decisions and to buy feed from further away, which exposes them to additional risks.

"The drought is so widespread that you have to buy it when you see it ... people are being forced to make decisions without any research becauseif they don't speak for it now, it might not be there when they call back in half an hour," he said.

The heat caused hay prices to double from a year ago, and one round hale bay costs $200. Because of the demand for hay, there has also been hay theft.

MacPherson said there are many people looking for feed and there's not that muchfor sale. It's disappointing that people are taking advantage of producers'desperate situation, he said, butanytime there's a crisis like this, these kinds of things happen, so it's not totally unexpected.

RCMP say producers should make steps to ensure that transactions online or over buy and sell platforms are conducted in a safe way. They recommend not sending funds until buyers are in a position to confirm that the product is legitimate, and the delivery has been established.

If you are a victim offraud, you can contact your local RCMP or police detachment.

If anyone has any information related to the fraud they can call 310-RCMP, or they can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.