July 13, 2021 – Scams and frauds are nothing new, but the internet has made it easier for criminals to reach out from anywhere in the world in an attempt to obtain your money or your personal data. And with social media becoming more widely used, the information that scammers need to trick innocent people is more readily available.
In 2020, fraud attempts and financial losses climbed dramatically. Dave is a retired police officer who has had a lot of experience with scams and their victims. He has also spoken directly with hundreds of scammers in an attempt to understand what they do, why they do it, and how the public can avoid falling victim to the frauds.
All scammers are after your money, or your personal data to get at your money, but their ploys and techniques are extremely varied. They are often imaginative and sophisticated enough to be convincing. They can work from anywhere in the world, reaching out to potential victims by phone, email, or social media.
Dave received a call from a number disguised as local. When he answered, a voice with an ominous message told him that he was in trouble unless he spoke with a government agent about his social insurance number and bank account. When he pressed 1 to be connected, he was asked for a name to confirm his identity. The caller pretended to be with the investigations department of Service Canada. As if he had a file in front of him, he pretended to confirm the fake information that Dave provided. Masquerading as “Robert Spencer”, Dave provided a postal code from another city and a number for the police in that area. The agent on the line said that he had detected all manner of horrific crimes in relation to ten bank accounts in the name of Robert Spencer.
Professing his innocence, “Robert” convinced the agent that he was not connected with the crimes. The agent pretended that he would speak with police on Robert’s behalf to help him avoid the charges. The agent pretended to speak with an officer from the local police and then the fake police officer also spoke with “Robert”. Together, they explained an elaborate scheme in which Robert’s bank account was in jeopardy and his money needed to be moved to a secure government account. Yahoo! News reports. | READ MORE
