Heading into the holidays, police plead for fraud victims to come forward

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite continued warnings about phone scams, fraud complaints to Vancouver Police are down this year and the numbers might be misleading heading into the holidays.

As of the end of October, more than 2,300 complaints have been recorded compared to more than 2,400 during the same time last year, but the year is not over yet.

VPD tips to fight fraud

  • If it’s too good to be true, it probably is
  • if you don’t feel comfortable at any time, hang up the phone and contact a family member or police
  • don’t throw out old cheques (business/personal); burn them or put them in a shredder
  • never record your PIN on the back of your debit card
  • protect your PIN when entering it at any store

 

Last week, the VPD re-issued their warned when a 94-year-old woman got a call at home from a woman who identified herself as a bank security officer. The victim was told her help was needed to catch a clerk who had apparently been stealing money and she was told to withdraw money and give it to a man who was waiting nearby. The woman did withdraw the funds, but luckily, changed her mind before giving it to anyone.

“It looks like it’s a bit of an intimidation factor… and it targets people that might actually think it’s true, so a lot of it is just being aware and knowing these frauds exist,” explains Vancouver Police Sergeant Jason Robillard.

He admits fraud numbers fluctuate, but often times victims are too embarrassed to report it to police.

“Sometimes when we get out there and when we do these campaigns to make people aware of [fraud], they feel more comfortable that, ‘Hey, I fell for this,’ but [suspects] are quite clever and we want to have a record of it, so perhaps it has something to do with under-reporting. We want to encourage you, even if you’ve been the victim of a scam and you’re a little ashamed about it, please call us.”

You can call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1.888.495.8501 or click here for more information about how to report fraud.

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