(CENTRAL HURON, ON) – A Central Huron resident is out $2,100 after she fell victim to a convincing scam this week. On August 12, 2015 the victim received a telephone call at home from a male reporting he was a RBC fraud investigator. He reported he was working with the RCMP and they were jointly investigating someone that had compromised her credit card.
The victim was led to believe someone had compromised her credit card and had sent a wire transfer in the amount of $1,100 to another party overseas. The supposed fraud investigator stated that the scam was likely an internal scam originating from a bank employee. The scammer then tricked the victim into believing she was viewing a legitimate online banking page with her account details. The scammer advised her that they had deposited $2,100 into her account to cover her losses that were taken from her account. The scammer then informed the victim the minimum amount they could credit her account was $2,100 so she was then directed to use a money transfer service to wire them back the excess.
The victim proceeded to wire $980 to the scammer. She then returned home and was advised there had been a mistake so she was instructed to wire an additional $980 to the scammer. The victim followed through and was thanked for helping them out with their investigation. The victim was then directed to report the matter to her local bank branch.
The victim reported she is very cautious and aware of various scams however she stated the scammer was very smooth and convincing. She stated the fake web page she viewed was identical to her actual banking page.
In this particular scam the scammers used “Phishing” or “brand spoofing” to create an email message and web page that was a replica of a legitimate online banking website. These web pages and websites are used to trick users into submitting personal, financial or password data. Often the emails will ask for information such as credit card numbers, bank account information, social insurance numbers and passwords that will be used to commit fraud.
The goal of criminals using brand spoofing is to lead consumers to believe that a request for information is coming from a legitimate company. In reality, it is a malicious attempt to collect customer information for the purpose of committing fraud.
To protect yourself from being a victim:
Never send money to a stranger using a money transfer service. If you have any suspicions at all to the legitimacy of the call/offer/request take your time before you take any action. Consult with family, friends, banking officials and police prior to providing personal information or sending money.
If you have any questions or concern about this scam or any other types of scams contact your local police agency immediately. You can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1- 888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca