A Chilliwack woman reported losing $22,000 in a scam after someone called her posing as a bank security team member.
A police report on Aug. 17 from a local woman said the caller convinced her they needed help to stop a scam by wiring money to RCMP in India.
“Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics to trick people into losing their hard-earned money," said Cpl. Carmen Kiener, Chilliwack RCMP. "It is crucial to for residents to be vigilant when receiving unexpected phone calls."
One way to do that is to "always take the time to verify who is calling" before sharing any personal data to make sure you are not "falling victim to a scam."
RCMP offer these anti-scam warning signs and techniques:
• Fraudsters may provide the first four digits of a debit or credit card, but most cards from the same instituation start with the same four numbers;
• Financial institutions will never ask for personal banking information over the phone;
• They also won’t request that you transfer funds to an external account for security reasons;
• Neither financial institutions nor police will ask you to hand over your bank card or attend your residence to pick it up
• Never assume phone numbers on caller ID are accurate;
• Never give remote access to your computer.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to work for your bank, advise the caller that you will call them back. End the call and dial the number on the back of your card from a different phone if possible or wait 10 minutes before making the outgoing call. For more go the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre site .
