Metro senior loses thousands in scam Times & Transcript July 18, 2014
Codiac
RCMP are warning the public about a case of fraud that appears to be aimed at
seniors.
On
Friday, the police received three similar fraud complaints targeting elderly
people over the telephone. In one case, a victim was defrauded of more than
$5,000 and two other victims were targeted but did not provide money to the
fraudster.
“In one
of the cases, the victim received a phone call claiming that a family member
had been in an accident. The other calls were similar,” says Const. Damien
Thériault. “The caller said the family member needed money urgently because the
accident wasn’t covered by insurance. The victim was asked to go buy a pre-paid
Visa card and give the caller the card number and CSV code.”
Police
are warning people, especially seniors, to check the facts before sending money
anywhere, no matter how urgent the situation may seem. A call to another family
member can confirm or disprove the information.