That phone number you recognize might not be real
As new technologies advance the way we live and work, Surrey RCMP is warning that scammers are also using technology to advance their crimes. Police are seeing a variety of ways that criminals are duping unsuspecting persons out of their money using phone spoofing technology and bitcoin payments. Typical victims include the elderly and those new to Canada.
Recently, the RCMP was contacted after a woman sent money to an anonymous account and then realized she had been defrauded. The victim received a phone call that appeared to be coming from her husband’s cell phone. The male caller identified himself as a police officer, and told the victim her husband had been arrested and bail money was required to secure his release. The fraudster coached the victim into electronically depositing $4,800 into an anonymous account. The woman’s husband came home shortly afterwards and she realized she had been tricked.
“What’s unique in this instance is the victim was coerced into depositing bitcoin into the fraudster’s anonymous account,” said Cpl. Scotty Schumann.
“Bitcoin, a digital form of currency and payment, is extremely hard to track. We are also seeing fraudsters continuing to impersonate government agencies like the RCMP, Canada Revenue Agency and Canadian Border Services Agency. They often demand payment in the form of gift cards, money transfers or bitcoin so the payment is difficult for law enforcement to track.”
Since January of this year, Surrey RCMP has received at least 14 reports where bitcoin was used as the payment form in a fraud. Phone spoofing and impersonation are even more common.
One way to protect yourself is by calling the agency back at a number that is publicly known and not one they are providing to verify the information they are telling you. Also, never provide payment to agencies in the form of gift cards or bitcoin.