Right before Christmas, two Sunshine Coast residents fell victim to online scams.
On December 22nd, one coast resident was trying to make his Amazon account on a new Smart TV. However, he believes he may have clicked on a link or ad that was off to the side of the intended website, and ended up on a fraudulent website instead.
He filled in his personal information on the fraudster’s website and while doing so, received a call from a fraudulent call stating that someone from the US was attempting to access his account. In order to prevent losses, he was ordered to give his banking information. The fraudster transferred a large sum of money from his bank account before he realized that he was scammed.
Another resident on the coast was trying to secure a loan from an internet-based lending company the same day. He spoke to a company representative who said there were two options for loans based on a fee, and the resident requested and paid for the lower fee loan.Â
The resident received an email from the company the next day, advising that the only loan option available was the higher fee loan. When he requested a refund for his previous loan, he was told it would take a week before a refund could be issued. He has, to date, not received a refund.
To learn more about scams and how to protect yourself, RCMP recommend residents visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org, or the Competition Bureau at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca.
