Be wary of online activity and targeting scammers.
Nanaimo RCMP has issued a statement warning the public of an increase in scams, including gift card scams and other online-related scams.
In their most recent incident, the target did not suffer any financial losses, but did have fake emails sent to many of her friends requesting money.
“Many people spend the majority of their day online on various platforms. Hackers recognize this and will exploit this. Unless we are diligent, we are all susceptible to being scammed,” said R/Cst Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“Scammers may clone your FB page, obtain your email address or pretend to be a friend, business partner or a colleague. If you suddenly start receiving requests for money or personal information, alarm bells should be going off.”
To aid in the prevention of online scams, police have provided the following safety tips:
- Spoofed phone numbers and email: phone numbers and even emails can easily be spoofed to make you think you know the caller. Do your homework before entering into any financial decisions
- Fake websites: double check the web address, sometimes scammers will make it appear similar to a trusted site, but it will have a spelling error
- Protect your online accounts:
- use trusted sources to log into your accounts and be aware of public computer use risks.
- create strong passwords and change them frequently
- do not reveal personal information over social media (even trip announcements as it then lets everyone know your house will be empty)
- Romance scam is when:
- when someone you have never met professes their love for you
- they always have an excuse not to meet you in person
- the person claims to live nearby but work overseas
- they act distressed in order to guilt you into sending money
If you wish to report a scam or find out more about scams, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
