Hope-area man victimized by telecom scam involving new phone, free watch: RCMP

HOPE – If it seems too good to be true, it almost always is.

Hope RCMP spokesperson Corporal Carmen Kiener is urging the public to be mindful of ongoing scams after a local resident contacted authorities about a call from someone who claimed to represent a telecom company and was somehow giving away something valuable for free.

Corporal Kiener says the caller offered the victim a new phone and a free watch. She says the victim accepted and received the phone in the mail a few days later. The victim was subsequently instructed to send it to an address in another province where it would be allegedly exchanged and returned with the free watch.

The victim became suspicious over the cockamamie scheme and contacted the phone number provided, eventually realizing it was a preposterous scam. Upon contacting the actual telecommunications company, the victim learned that an account had been opened using his personal information and that he was financially responsible for the phone.

Corporal Kiener urges the public to be cautious of unsolicited calls involving promotional deals that appear to be good to be true; verify offers directly with the company using a publicly listed phone number or website; never send products or money to a third party without independently confirming the legitimacy of the transaction; regularly monitor your credit report and account activity for unauthorized activity; and report fraud to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.