This week, the Sunshine Coast RCMP are reminding residents that if someone is asking for financial information, to check who they are and why they need it.
On Monday, two residents on the coast were victims to fraudulent scams.
One resident received an email from what she believed was her employer, asking her for help with the purchase of multiple gift cards. After buying the cards, she double checked with her employer and learned that the employer’s email had been hacked. She also found that the email requesting the cards had a typo in it, but at first glance, had appeared legitimate.
Another resident was victim to a ‘romance scam,’ and reported the scam to the police after their bank account had been frozen. Numerous large wire transfers had been made to the scammer, who the victim believed they were in a serious online relationship with. The victim had also sent images of their drivers license, banking information, and other details, making them vulnerable to identity theft.
The RCMP state that ‘scammers perpetrating romance scams are incredibly convincing and choose their victims indiscriminately.’
The amount of money transferred to the scammer by the victim was not released.
“To learn more about these types of scams and how to protect yourself from them,” stated the RCMP’s release, “please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. Please share this information with your family and friends.”
