RCMP are warning the public about a number of common scams in circulation that are victimizing Canadians at an alarming rate. Millions of dollars have been lost due to COVID scams alone.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, close to 12,000 Canadians lost $7.2-million as a result of scams related to COVID-19.
Those scams include calls or messages promising to provide vaccines, appointment spaces, tests, or even cures—for a fee.
Other scams, some of which have been in circulation for some time, include the CRA one where a caller claims to be representing the Canada Revenue Agency and demands payment of unpaid taxes, and the yard sale trick that includes sales of various items including puppies and cars with the fraudster promising to hold the item for a deposit.
Impersonation scams are also big, with a fraudster pretending to be a person through social media or a fake email account. One recent local example involved a fraudster impersonating Bell Island MHA David Brazil—the fake account managed to get $1,000 from one unsuspecting victim.
Red flags to watch for include opportunities that are too good to be true, threats of arrest, aggressive tactics, unsolicited robocalls advising of a prize or legal trouble, requests for personal information, and requests for payment in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
