Jasper RCMP investigate attempted fraud

On May 11th, 2017 Jasper RCMP received a complaint of a possible scam related to a fake ad in the local newspaper.

The fraudsters published what seemed to be a legitimate ad seeking a care worker for people from Australia looking to move to Jasper. Once the victim replied to the ad via text messages and emails, the suspects mailed a fake cheque and requested that the victim cash it and use it to buy some items prior to their arrival in Canada. Fortunately, the victim felt that something wasn’t quite right and decided not to cash the cheque. The bank later advised police and the victim that if the cheque would have been cashed, the money would been withdrawn out of the victim’s account and transferred to the scammers.

The fake ad was last published in March 2017. The local newspaper were completely unaware that it was a scam and have since removed the ad.

Police are asking anyone who may have information regarding this occurrence to contact the Jasper RCMP at (780) 852-4421. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800222-8477 (TIPS), or by internet at www.crimestoppers. ab.ca. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers, and if you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest(s), you may be eligible for a cash reward.