Two residents of the Chéticamp area have been contacted recently by fraudsters, and the RCMP would like to remind residents of ways they can protect themselves from being scammed.

On May 3, a woman was contacted by e-mail and asked to purchase $3600 in iTunes cards. She was asked to send the activation codes back to the person who contacted her. On the same day, a man was contacted by phone by someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, advising him that if he didn’t provide his personal information he could be arrested.

To protect yourself against these types of fraud scams, verify that what you’re being told is the actual truth. If you receive a similar e-mail, or phone call, contact the person or business that supposedly sent it to confirm the request before providing any personal or banking information. Also ask yourself why the business would be asking for personal information over the phone or by e-mail when they likely have such information on file for you already. Often times, a closer look at the e-mail shows grammatical and spelling errors, which may also cause some question regarding its authenticity.

For more information on different types of fraud, or to report a suspected fraud incident, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at:http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/. Citizens can also report a fraud incident by calling 1-888-495-8501. As well, all Canadian Banks and most other companies that deal with money and/or payments have fraud prevention and reporting information on their websites.

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Source: Media Release