Phone scammers posing as BC Search and Rescue
Posted November 16, 2017 12:02 am.
Last Updated November 16, 2017 6:28 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
(VANCOUVER NEWS1130) — Local search and rescue groups want you to be aware of the latest phone scam making the rounds.
The BC Search and Rescue Association put out a warning on their Facebook that if you get a call from someone claiming to be from their organization looking for donations, it’s not legitimate.
Evan Kelly with the Better Business Bureau says if you really want to donate to this, or any cause, you should look them up first.
“You certainly want to do your research, just like anything else, before you start giving away your money,” he advises. “Does the organization issue a tax receipt? Ask a lot of questions, check out where the number is coming from, go online while they’ve got you on the phone and see if they’re actually doing this.”
Kelly says you can contact these organizations directly to see if they’re really looking for donations and do it online.
“Check out the Canada Revenue Agency website, put the organization in a Google search, plus ‘scam’, see if something comes up if anyone has reported it,” he says. “You can come to BBB Scam Tracker, see if something along those lines has been reported locally, as well.”
There are 80 recognized ground search and rescue teams in BC and none of them solicits donations by phone.
