Digby RCMP warns pub­lic about online fra­ud

At 6:15 a.m. on March 6, a Digby woman received a phone call from someone claimi­ng to be from Scotia­bank Fraud Section, asking if she had ch­arged money to her Visa. When the victim told them she had not, the su­spect talked her into giving them remote access to her compu­ter and online banki­ng. The victim was told tellers at the bank were being inves­tigated for fraud by the RCMP, and her accounts might be com­promised. The victim was also told the RCMP would be putting their own money into her account. Money was added to her ac­count, which she lat­er learned had come from her own line of credit. The victim was instructed to go to her bank and wit­hdraw money. The vic­tim was then directed to attend other ba­nks in Digby and dep­osit the money into specific accounts. The scammers called the victim frequently throughout the day with instructions, or asking for the sta­tus of their most re­cent demands. In tot­al over $35,000 had been scammed from the victim.

The RCMP wishes to remind the public that they should never provide financial in­formation over the phone. Citizens are asked to be wary of unsolicited calls reg­arding financial inf­ormation and check with your financial institution before al­lowing access to your personal informati­on. If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a caller, ask for a call back number and check with your bank immediately. You can report fraud to the Canadian Ant­i-Fraud Centre (CAFC) by phone at 1-888-­495-8501 (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) or online atwww.antifraudcentre.­ca.　

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Source: Media Release