New telephone scam popping up in Alberta
A new telephone scam popped up in Alberta at the end of July, and RCMP are warning people not to fall prey to it.
The suspect or suspects pose as RCMP officers to try to gain remote access to victim’s computers.
The scam surfaced recently in Edson and McLennan, where victims were contacted by phone by someone posing as an RCMP member with the “Cyber Crime Unit.”
The caller claims to be conducting an investigation, and will instruct victims to download software allowing remote access to their computers.
In one investigation, the victim was told that the “RCMP” would deposit $40,000 into their bank account to supposedly “trap the bad guys.”
Instead, money was taken from the account by way of electronic transfers and the purchase of “Google Play” cards.
“RCMP will never contact you by phone and request you to act as an agent on our behalf,” says the RCMP.
If you receive a similar call, or a request to allow access to your computer, take all the caller’s information, and attend or call your nearest RCMP Detachment.
“No legitimate government agency or business will demand payment in gift cards or prepaid credit cards.
“These methods are used by criminals in order to hide their activities from the police.”
If you receive a telephone call from anyone who claims you owe them money, take a moment. Before taking any action, write down all the information.
If possible, review it with a third party, or call your local RCMP Detachment. It’s also important to look up the number of the local Detachment, rather than call any phone number provided by the caller/suspect.
Don’t share personal information with the caller, even to confirm your name, address, social insurance number, or name of bank.
You can and should report all fraud attempts to the Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 as well as your local RCMP detachment.
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Leslie Cholowsky
Editor
