Robinson Huron Treaty beneficiaries are being alerted to scam letters requesting personal and financial information for the purpose of distributing settlement payouts.
On Tuesday, the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) issued a notice warning the public about the circulation of fraudulent letters, which ask individuals to provide personal and banking information to confirm their eligibility for the distribution of settlement payouts.
Recipients of the fake letters are promised payment by way of either a direct deposit or cheque upon receiving the personal information.
The legal team responsible for negotiating the $10-billion Robinson Huron Treaty settlement agreement with the federal and provincial governments said the letters are even branded with government and/or RHTLF logos.
“Please note that the RHTLF and the governments of Ontario and Canada have not started to make settlement payments and will not ask for your financial information via mail, email or text,” the litigation team said in a statement.
The litigation fund is advising recipients of the letters to contact their First Nation band office or RHTLF by messaging its social media account directly or via email at [email protected] in order to verify the credibility of any letter received.
The notice from RHTLF also provides a number of tips regarding protection against scams.
As SooToday previously reported, the historic annuities settlement is expected to be finalized within the coming weeks after all 21 First Nations formally approved the settlement agreement.
The litigation fund expects to receive the $10-billion settlement by February 2024, with per capita distributions from the historic annuities settlement potentially starting to flow into communities during the spring and summer of next year.
Funds will be distributed to First Nations from the RHTLF trust “based on a formula agreed to by the treaty leadership and their councils,” according to a statement made by RHTLF via social media earlier this month.