Police warn of a CEO scam

Investigators in the Financial Crime Unit of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division are warning citizens about an old email scam that has reappeared to target organizations throughout the Halifax area.

This week, police received two reports from two different organizations of a scam involving someone posing as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or manager of an organization. The scammer contacts a staff member in the organization using a fake email address and directs the employee to wire money to a bank account. One of organization was defrauded of thousands of dollars and the case is currently under investigation.

Fraud can affect anyone. Keep the following tips in mind:

· Never send money without confirming the identity of the recipient by voice or in-person.

· If you receive an e-mail requesting money, contact the purported sender by phone or in-person to confirm the e-mail’s legitimacy.

If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of this or any other scam, please report the matter to your local police agency. There is no need to call police to report that you’ve been contacted in relation to this scam if you’re not a victim. You can report a scam where you haven’t been a victim to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or online athttp://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm

.

Source: Media Release