KENORA – People are still being lured into phone call scams where fraudsters claimed they are members of the government and that they needed money transferred from the victim's bank accounts as part of an investigation.
The scam is to intimidate the victim into complying with a fraudster’s request.
According to the Kenora OPP, the Fraudsters inform the victim that someone had opened bank accounts in their name by using their social security number.
Then, the fraudsters asked the victim to put a verification number into Google and called repeatedly until the individual drove to a different community to deposit money into a bitcoin machine.
Bitcoin is a digital non-fungible token that has gained internet popularity over recent years. In its early conception, Bitcoin was being promoted as a new kind of currency that would replace the standard US dollar. However, in recent years, Bitcoin is limited to a niche marketplace on the internet.
Harassing phone calls continued, and the victim was urged to travel outside of the community again to deposit more money- she declined. While making the second deposit in Kenora, the victim called 911 to report the incident.
Here is what has been happening and what you should be aware of:
- The victim receives a phone call from someone pretending to work for a banking institution or government agency. Government agencies do not use bitcoin machines
- The scammer tells you that your bank accounts are at risk, or you are being investigated and money needs to be secured in a Bitcoin account
- They provide an address for you to deposit funds into a bitcoin machine
- The fraudster requests you attend your banking institution to withdraw funds
- After doing so, they request you to purchase prepaid gift cards and ask you to provide the gift card numbers, or deposit the funds into a bitcoin machine
- Oftentimes, there will be a request not to tell anyone, to keep it a secret to avoid further trouble
How to protect yourself:
- If something doesn't seem right hang up
- Call your local police service and meet with an officer
- Make a follow-up call to the actual banking institution or government agency to confirm information, first researching to confirm you are calling the right number since Caller IDs can be fake.
For more information regarding ongoing scams in Canada or to report fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at http://antifraudcentre.ca/. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, call Kenora OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
