Nova Scotians are being cautioned by the RCMP about a new scam involving the buying of gold and handing it over to scammers posing as police officers.
Cpl. Mitch Thompson from the RCMP commercial crime unit revealed on CBC’s Information Morning that scammers are contacting victims, claiming to be from a bank’s fraud department, and warning them that their funds are in jeopardy due to foreign cyber threats.
The victims are then instructed to purchase gold from a genuine online dealer in Canada using their personal savings and investments.
Subsequently, the scammers direct the victims to hand over the gold to an individual pretending to be a police officer.
Cpl. Thompson highlighted the use of intermediaries by scammers to minimize risks during face-to-face meetings. However, he stressed the potential dangers involved in such encounters.
While only one case has been reported in Nova Scotia, similar scams are occurring in Ontario, according to Thompson.
Thompson identified this type of fraud as a bank investigator or financial grooming scam, emphasizing the scammers’ tactic of building trust over time to evade detection.
He urged the public to be wary of urgent and secretive tactics employed by scammers to bypass rational thinking and avoid suspicion.
Thompson provided insights on identifying potential red flags, such as unrealistic claims regarding financial safety and unauthorized requests for financial assets by law enforcement.
Regarding scammers posing as police officers, Thompson advised asking for official identification cards and badges with matching details, as genuine officers always carry these credentials.
In instances of such scams, Thompson acknowledged varying outcomes but stressed the financial losses and emotional toll experienced by victims, leading to underreporting of fraud incidents.
He highlighted the prevalence of fraud in Canada, emphasizing its indiscriminate nature across socioeconomic backgrounds and demographics.
MORE TOP STORIES
