Guelph resident defrauded $5,000 by scammer posing as famous comedian
The scammer claimed to be Matt Rife.
Smalltown Graffiti Staff
November 21, 2025
A Guelph resident was defrauded $5,000 this week after giving their banking information to a scammer posing as American comedian Matt Rife.
The resident called police Thursday and said they had received a message from someone online claiming to be Rife, who said they were experiencing problems with their bank account.
The scammer said they could help the Guelph resident pay off their credit card if they helped “Rife” deposit a cheque.
The resident agreed and handed over their bank account information, which the scammer used to deposit a fraudulent cheque for $5,000 into the account.
The scammer then told them to withdraw the $5,000 and deposit it into Bitcoin for “Rife,” to which they complied. But the bank quickly noticed the fraudulent cheque and notified the Guelph resident that their bank account had been compromised.
“The fake Matt Rife continued to contact the caller, with the caller not responding to continued requests,” say police.
Police put the resident in contact with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and told them to contact Equifax and TransUnion to place a fraud alert on their credit profile.
Reply