West Shore RCMP are warning of a fraudster who is impersonating a police officer to get money from victims, telling them a member of their family needs bail money.
A West Shore resident received a call on May 2 from someone claiming to be “Sgt. Scott Thomas from the RCMP.”
The person told the resident that a member of their family had been arrested and $2,000 had to be transferred to a third party for bail.
After transferring the money, the resident called the family member the caller had named — and discovered they had not been arrested or had an interaction with police.
Another West Shore resident received a similar call on May 23 from someone using the same fictitious name.
After claiming the victim’s family member had been arrested, the fraudster asked for $1,500 in gift cards for bail.
The victim bought the cards and sent them to the caller, but later became suspicious, called the family member who had been named and learned it was a scam.
“We want the public to be aware of this fraudster who is pretending to be a member of the RCMP and targeting residents of the West Shore,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar. “Under no circumstances would police, whether that be RCMP or a municipal department, ever direct you to transfer money or make any kind of payment.”
Police would also never ask for remote access to your computer, or for personal information via text message such as name, date of birth, banking details and email, police said.
A police investigation into the scams is ongoing.
West Shore RCMP offered these tips to protect yourself from scammers:
• Don’t click on links or download attachments that come in unsolicited text messages or emails.
• Never send personal, credit-card or banking details when they are asked for in unsolicited messages, and do not enter such information on any website unless you are sure it is legitimate.
• Take the time to verify the source of messages, and don’t be afraid to hang up the phone.
More tips are available on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a fraud, or who has any information regarding the recent cases, is asked to call West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264 or to report anonymously to Crime Stoppers online or at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
