Police are again reminding the public about phone scams after an Okanagan senior fell prey this week.
According to Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, an elderly Enderby resident contacted them on Thursday after being cheated out of approximately $3,000.
Police say the senior took a phone call earlier in the day from a person purporting to be a bank manager.
“The fraudster told the victim their bank account had been compromised and convinced the victim to log into their bank account in order to restore the security settings,” said RCMP.
The thief then coaxed the victim into purchasing more than $3,000 in Google Play cards.
When the call ended, the victim realized they had been scammed and contacted her bank and police.
“Sadly, scammers and fraudsters are continuing to target seniors in our community,” said RCMP Const. Chris Terleski.
“We are encouraging anyone with elderly family members to discuss how to recognize a scam and what they can do to keep themselves safe and help prevent them from falling victim to these types of fraud.”
To prevent being scammed, police suggest the following if you didn’t make the call or you don’t know who you’re talking to:
- Never give out personal information over the phone.
- Never pay a debt by crypto-currencies, such as Bitcoin.
- This includes prepaid credit cards or gift cards such as Google Play, iTunes, Amazon or others.
- If someone contacts you allegedly from a company, hang up and contact the company yourself to verify the information.
More information about preventing and reporting fraud can be found on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.