Chilliwack resident victimized by bitcoin scam
CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack RCMP says a Chilliwack resident was the unsuspecting victim of a bitcoin scam that led to a scammer getting away with thousands of dollars.
According to a news release Wednesday (May 1) from Chilliwack RCMP spokesperson Corporal Carmen Kiener, a Chilliwack resident reported a fraudulent transaction to the Chilliwack RCMP on Saturday morning, April 27 at 8 a.m. The victim told police about a call from a suspect stating there had been a fraudulent charge on the victim’s credit card that required immediate attention. The suspect created a bitcoin wallet for the victim and told the victim to deposit $5,800 through a bitcoin machine. This deposit was supposed to resolve the scam.
Police say the suspect initially asked for $10,000, but as the victim was in the process of completing the deposit, the victim realized it was a scam after all and deposited a portion of the required funds. Police say the victim wound up losing $5,000 in the fraudulent scheme.
Cpl. Kiener says police want to remind the public to be aware of fraudulent schemes like this. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has more information on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.
The incident marks the second incident in two weeks in which Fraser Valley residents have been victimized. A woman from the small community of Hatzic east of Mission, fell victim to a cyber-currency scam recently, losing approximately $25,000.
According to an RCMP news release, the fraudster began by making contact with the victim through Facebook, enticing her to invest small sums of money with the promise of quick and significant returns.
As the victim continued to invest, the fraudster directed her to download an application to assist with the transactions. Instead, the application granted the scammer unrestricted access to her bank account, allowing for unauthorized withdrawals and transfers.
The situation escalated when the victim’s financial institution detected suspicious activities and froze her accounts. But at that point, the damage had already been done, leaving the victim facing a significant financial loss.
RCMP warn residents who are interested in crypto-currency investment to consult reputable financial advisors before proceeding. And they emphasize the importance of promptly reporting any suspicious activity to financial institutions to mitigate potential losses and prevent further exploitation.
If you believe you are a victim of fraud, you should call your local police detachment immediately. If you have been able to avoid a fraudster and have information related to the scam, you should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 888-495-8501.
The RCMP have released links to a number of websites that are meant to protect Canadians from becoming a victim of fraud. The website links are below:
https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/phishing-hameconnage-eng.htm
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html
https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/blogs/phishing-introduction
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