SASKATOON – Police have a warning for Saskatoon residents: scams stemming from many different counties are on the rise and fraudsters are only getting better at conning people. They come in different forms. Sometimes fraudsters will text you, email or phone.
In the latest con, several people in the city have reported a caller claiming to be from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In an attempt to get the person on the line to dish out money, the scammer then often threatens with jail time or deportation if a “fine” is not paid.
“People that commit fraud are getting very good at it. And they’re very convincing. And there’s always news ways of defrauding the public,” said Tim Failler, the officer in charge of economic crime at Saskatoon police.
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Shawne Yonan, a Saskatoon resident, was targeted via text at 3:47 a.m. CT recently. She is one of many to be hit with the mystery shopper scam, which promises a job paying up to $400 a week in exchange for personal information.
Police warn that most of these scams involve reimbursing fraudsters and sending your own funds in at one point, often for what appears to be a reimbursement.
Failler adds to be suspicious anytime you’re asked to deposit money into your bank account from an unknown source.
Harvey Kush was able to spot the red flags when he put up a Kijiji posting for a room in house. After several text messages from an applicant claiming to be from the U.S., the scammer cut right to the chase.
The text stated that the applicant sent too much money and needed to be reimbursed. It also asked that Kush send the funds to a moving company.
“We have many scams … and I’m sure I’m not the only guy in my area. Never mind the girl up the street with three of them. Never mind the guy around the corner around the city. I imagine there are hundreds,” said Kush.
If something sounds too good to be true, residents are recommended to ask questions, not disclose any personal information and report the incident to police.
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