Melfort RCMP issuing caution after local resident scammed out of thousands of dollars

“The victim was from the Melfort area and over the past few years, there [have] been many scam victims from the Melfort area,” Case said.

Depending on the type of fraud, victims may be able to get their money back from their financial institution, but only if it involves a credit card or bank account controlled by them.

“Financial institutions will conduct their own fraud investigation, and if they determine that the person was a victim of fraud, the money that was lost is often returned to them from the bank,” Case explained. “When it comes to gift card scams, there is very little recourse because once the scammer has the numbers from the cards, they are able to get the money without having the cards in their hands.”

Case said it’s also impossible to track these transactions because the scammer is calling from a fake phone number, using a fake email address and using false names. He said the best thing people can do to avoid becoming a victim is to ask a lot of questions.

“If the scammer is unable to answer specific questions to properly identify themselves, then they are not legitimate.”

People should never give out personal information unless they are certain that they know the person they are talking to. It’s also important to keep in mind that legitimate businesses and organizations would never accept gift cards as payment for outstanding debts.

“For example, it is very common for scammers to ask for Apple gift cards as payment,” Case explained. “The scammer uses the money from the Apple gift cards to purchase Apple products such as iPads and iPhones and re-sell them to make a profit. “

Scammers can also easily ‘spoof’ phone numbers, and just because someone gets a phone call from a local number doesn’t mean the call is coming from the area.

“If someone gets a phone call from a Gronlid phone number and the caller claims to be from Amazon, this should be a clue that the caller is not legit,” Case said.

Several stores in the area have signs warning people not to buy gift cards for callers, as it is a scam, and Case said it’s important to have those reminders because scammers won’t stop the scam if they continue to get money from people this way. Case said victims of scams like these, and others, come from all walks of life and are of all ages.

A good rule of thumb, Case said, is that if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

“If something is too good to be true, it is. It is common for people to be contacted and advised they have won something, and the STARS lottery is a common one,” Case said. “If you didn’t buy a ticket, you didn’t win anything.”

Legitimate organizations would also never ask for money from a ‘winner’ for them to be able to receive their prize. Case said another common scam is asking people to pay thousands of dollars in ‘transport fees’ for a new vehicle that they have won.

Case said it’s very difficult, if not impossible, for police to investigate many scams. The scammers cover their tracks very well and are not easy to identify, and their entire existence, including phone numbers, emails, and names, are phony and impossible to trace. Another challenge is that once the profits from one scam dry up, the perpetrators will come up with another way to dupe people.

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

by Cam Lee

Melfort RCMP issuing caution after local resident scammed out of thousands of dollars

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