St. Thomas, ON – Wednesday November 8th 2023
“If it seems too good to be true, it is” a quote shared from Detectives of the St. Thomas Police Service’ Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB)
CIB is a unit compiled of highly skilled investigators who are tasked with investigating major crimes, which includes complex frauds.
Samantha Wakefield, Corporate Communications Coordinator with STPS sat down with members of CIB to talk about the most common scams and frauds citizens of St. Thomas are falling victim to and how to protect themselves.
“We’ve seen a recent uptick in employment fraud. An individual will click on a job opportunity, typically a sponsored ad on social media and then through the course of several interactions, money eventually gets transferred to the would-be employer resulting in all communication be severed and the victim at a loss”
A sure sign of a scam is pressure to make a quick decision, being asked to provide money in any form and an email or phone request for financial information or personal information like your social insurance number.
“Crypto currency scams seem to be one of the most common incidents of complex fraud our branch has been investigating this year. Fraudsters are preying on victims who have interest in investing and usually already have a significant investment portfolio. Through online communication or phone calls, an investment plan is decided on between the victim and the fraudster usually followed by several financial transactions into a digital wallet. Shortly after completing these transactions, the wallets are frozen and the all communication stops”
It’s recommended for individuals to not engage with investment managers online, through ads or emails with links.
Employment fraud and Crypto scams are just two, from a very long list on scams citizen of St. Thomas fall victim to.
Below are some prevention strategies to avoid becoming a victim of crime:
- Do not give your personal information over the phone or internet.
- Try to minimize the identification documents you carry with you.
- Shred your documents with personal information on them.
- Always ask yourself – Is this too good to be true?
- Always question if the giving up of information would in any way put you at risk.
- Use good anti-virus and firewall software.
- Avoid clicking on any links in emails or unverified websites.
- Always set strong passwords for any online use.
- Use secure websites for finances and purchases online.
Preventing crime before it occurs will always be the best way to keep our community safe.
For more information on recent frauds and scams and how to protect yourself log on to the Canadian Anti- Fraud Centre
#CPWeek23
