SUNDRE – If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
The Sundre RCMP detachment’s commander recently cautioned the public about get-rich-quick schemes peddled by fraudsters posing as cryptocurrency traders, amid other scams during the lead-up to the holidays.
Fraud of course occurs throughout the year, but scammers tend to really ramp up their efforts during the Christmas season.
Preying on people’s propensity to be more generous at this time of year, con artists will employ practices such as pretending to represent a legitimate charity seeking donations, Sgt. Trent Sperlie wrote recently in a press statement.
“The public should always be aware of fraudsters,” reads a portion of his presser. “Especially if they are contacted directly through social media, email, text messages or a phone call.”
Whenever someone receives a solicitation for funds, they should “always take the time to verify the legitimacy of the request” by either following up with a family member, police, or financial institution prior to sending any money, said Sperlie.
Instances of fraud are nothing new, but the Sundre RCMP detachment has reported a local increase in the number of such scams that involved “significant dollar value.”
Over the past three months, there have been a total of 12 investigations. Most of the reported losses ranged from $5,000 to $10,000, but there were also two instances of fraud involving losses of $70,000 and $170,000, the sergeant said.
“These are alarming numbers and – in most cases – the money is no longer traceable, which is very distressing to the victims.”
Among the different kinds of fraud involved were stolen cheques, credit cards as well as identity theft.
The sergeant urges residents to safeguard not only their physical financial devices in an effort to mitigate theft, but also equally importantly to closely protect their personal information.
“Do not provide financial information to anyone that contacts you until you have verified the request is legitimate,” he said. “Anyone that pressures you to send money immediately will more than likely be a fraud.”
Additionally, Sperlie advised to “never allow remote access to your computer or open emails that have attachments when you don’t know who the sender is. These attachments can have malicious software that is able to obtain personal information from your computer.”
The most significant scams involved a fraudster posing as a cryptocurrency trader promising potential victims vast returns on their investment, he said.
“The fraudster led the victims to believe they were buying cryptocurrency, sometimes alluding that the purchase was guaranteed to offer unrealistic returns,” he said.
“However, the cryptocurrency that was purchased was quickly transferred to other accounts and eventually disappeared along with the victims’ money.”
As these crimes are frequently committed from an international stage, the RCMP has no recourse to further investigate the file. Out of the 12 instances of fraud reported to local police, only one ended up resulting in charges being laid against a Calgary resident, he said.
“The transactions often lead to other countries where the investigation becomes impossible to pursue,” he said.
Ivo Martin Jebsen, living out of Calgary, was charged with eight counts of fraud under $5,000 as well as seven counts of possession of property obtained by crime less than $5,000.
Meanwhile, the provincial RCMP along with police services in Calgary and Edmonton also recently issued a statement warning the public about “emergency scams” that have resulted in Albertans collectively losing more than $3.5 million over the past year.
These cons come in a variety of staged emergencies wherein a fraudster calls a victim and claims that a loved one is in desperate trouble with the law and urgently needs money to help them.
“Suspects will often pretend to be a police officer, judge, or family member,” reads a portion of that press release.
The scammers will typically request cash but might also seek payments by way of gift cards, bitcoin, or e-transfers – all of which are red flags.
The fraudsters then arrange to send an associate posing as a courier to pick up the money in person, or request the funds be mailed, said police, adding the two most common themes are a sense of urgency as well as secrecy. Mounties in Alberta had as of early this December received more than 150 reports of these types of fraud since the start of the year.
Above and beyond Sperlie’s advice, Alberta’s law enforcement agencies also remind everyone that bail is always paid in person at a courthouse or correctional centre.
“We encourage you to talk to family, friends, or loved ones who may be vulnerable to these types of crimes, making sure they know what to watch for,” Cpl. Sean Milne, Alberta RCMP Serious and Organized Crime Unit, was quoted as saying in the release.
“If they are contacted by a scammer, they shouldn’t feel embarrassed, they shouldn’t keep it secret,” he said. “They should reach out for help.”
