Bell Island RCMP are warning residents of a Facebook Messenger scammer presenting themselves as politician David Brazil.

On Thursday, a resident of Bell Island who is Facebook friends with Brazil, received a message from an account with Brazil’s name and profile picture offering the individual options to obtain a government grant.

The resident agreed to send $1000 dollars to receive a $50,000 dollar grant and completed an application.

The application included sending a copy of a driver’s licence, name, date of birth, address and banking institution.

The scammer gave multiple different options for payment, including email transfer, PayPal transfer or the purchase of pre-paid cards. The individual purchased Google Play cards and sent the information to the scammer, who withdrew the money.

Brazil says it’s upsetting to see the lengths people will go to to take advantage of others.

He says it’s “beyond disheartening” and warns people that if something sounds too good to be true, it is. He says the RCMP Criminal Investigation unit is looking into it.

Police are asking the public to be cautious when sending money to anyone, recommending that any transferring of money be preceded by a phone call to the recipient.