The scammers posed themselves as representatives of a government agency, bank, or other business and asked the victim to purchase gift cards or cryptocurrency.
“A recent example involved a victim, who took an online job, being directed to purchase gift cards and forward them to another recipient,” reads a media release from LPS. “The electronic payment the ‘employer’ sent them for reimbursement ended up being fraudulent, and the victim was out the money used to buy the gift cards.”
Another scam that has become more common as of late involves scammers trying to gain remote access to peoples’ computers and other electronic devices. The goal is for the scammer to access your online bank accounts and other personal information.
“A common scam sees the target sent an unsolicited email about a virus detected in their computer with the repair company offering to remedy the problem if provided passwords and user names,” explains LPS.
Scams are often international, making it challenging for law enforcement agencies to go after.
LPS offered a few scam-prevention tips:
- Government agencies like the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, police, and border services will not ask you to pay for anything using gift cards or cryptocurrency, nor will they ask for financial information.
- If somebody claiming to be from a law enforcement agency contacts you, they will already have your contact information. Many scammers will ask for your contact…
