Scammer fleeces B.C. woman for $80K just days before Christmas

Be wary when it comes to transferring money to people you don’t know.

That’s the advice police once again repeated after reporting that a B.C. woman fell prey to a scammer and lost $80,000.

Salmon Arm RCMP say the woman contacted them on Dec. 14, telling police that the theft began when she clicked on an online ad about investing in cryptocurrency.

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The ad requested her name and email address, which she offered, with a person claiming to be a senior crypto-investing agent contacting her.

The agent, through conversation on WhatsApp, convinced the woman to transfer $80,000 to a website.

Police say the money was transferred to a cryptocurrency exchange, converted into Bitcoin, then sent to the fraudster.

“The complainant added that she allowed the investing agent access her computer remotely, which allowed the fraudster access to her computer and personal information,” said police, adding the file is under investigation.

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Salmon Arm RCMP also reported another fraud case, with a company employee being scammed out of $1,800.

Police say a store employee was contacted by phone from someone claiming to be from the brand’s head office.

“The fraudster claimed that the store manager had ordered supplies, but the payment was declined,” said the RCMP. “The fraudster knew the store manager’s name, and some intricacies about the store brand.”

The employee was told to send payment and that he would later be reimbursed.

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The employee did that and transferred $1,800 to what appeared to be a Mexican bank account.

But when the employee followed up with the store manager, he discovered there was no order.

Police said they “do not recommend sending e-transfers or money transfers to anyone you don’t know. Once an e-transfer is accepted by the recipient, it cannot be reversed.”