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As part of its Fraud Awareness Month campaign, Regina police have provided a fraud prevention checklist.
A Regina Police Service poster warning the public about bitcoin scams. jpg
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As part of its Fraud Awareness Month campaign, Regina police have provided a fraud prevention checklist of tips for any time someone contacts you, by phone or e-mail, asking for personal information:
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• Is the call unsolicited? Was it expected or out of the blue?
• Are they asking you to confirm personal information such as your name, address, or account details?
• Are they looking for a fast or instant response?
• Are they asking you for money?
• Is the caller avoiding using the actual name or the company or financial institution?
• Are they offering you a prize, free gift, or trial?
• Are they claiming to be the police or investigating something?
• Does the email have an odd email address?
• Is the formatting strange or are there spelling mistakes?
• Are you being asked to change your password despite not sending a request to do so?
If any of these questions apply, police advise against providing your information and instead seek advice.
Be aware when you receive a phone call and the caller states the following information (and be prepared to hang up):
• Caller identifies themselves as an employee of your financial institution;
• Caller tells you there is suspicious activity on your credit card or bank account;
• Caller tells you that your identity has been compromised;
• Caller tells you that you can help catch the “international criminals” and instructs you to go to specific retail locations and purchase prepaid cards;
• Caller then asks you to provide the prepaid card information over the phone, which gives the caller immediate access to the card and your money;
• Caller may also tell you to withdraw cash and deposit into a cryptocurrency terminal;
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• Caller may leave a call back number or transfer you to the “security department” of your financial institution. There is no “security department;” it’s just part of a very convincing lie.
If you receive one of these calls, hang up immediately; remember that no financial institution will ask you to make a payment with gift cards or cryptocurrency.
“Remember, scam artists want you to hurry; slow things down, take time to think critically, and ask a trusted person for help,” police add.
For for more information on scams, check out reginapolice.ca/scams/ or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
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