RCMP are warning that fraudsters are posing as police officers and bank employees after a Sechelt resident lost more than $100,000.
The fake officers and employees convinced the victim to transfer funds as part of a fake investigation, according to Sechelt RCMP. Officials said the victim was initially contacted by someone who appeared to be calling from the Vancouver Police Department’s non-emergency phone line.
The scammer used caller ID spoofing technology to make the number appear legitimate.
According to RCMP, the fraudster claimed to be Vancouver Police Chief Cst. Steve Rai and told the victim they could assist with an investigation involving a Sunshine Coast financial institution.
Shortly afterward, the victim received a WhatsApp call from a woman claiming to represent the financial institution. RCMP said she instructed the victim to transfer money to a specified account in order to “test” the bank’s transaction systems as part of an alleged fraud investigation.
Believing the requests were legitimate, the victim transferred $70,000 and then an additional $38,000.
Sechelt RCMP said multiple people have fallen victim to similar scams and are reminding residents to be cautious when receiving unsolicited calls requesting personal or financial information.
Police emphasized that officers will never ask members of the public to assist with criminal investigations by transferring money, depositing funds into cryptocurrency accounts or moving money between accounts.
RCMP also noted that banks will never request one-time passwords, two-factor authentication codes or online banking credentials over the phone.
To protect against fraud, police advise residents to remember that caller ID can be manipulated to make calls appear to come from legitimate organizations. Anyone who receives a suspicious call should hang up and contact their bank or police directly using a publicly listed phone number.
Residents are also urged never to send money, purchase cryptocurrency or provide access to financial accounts based on instructions received during an unsolicited phone call.
