The South Simcoe Police Service is issuing a warning following a series of recent frauds involving the purchase of gift cards.
Police are investigating multiple reports within the past week where victims in Bradford and Innisfil were scammed out of thousands of dollars after being instructed to purchase gift cards. The victims were approached via phone calls and emails under a variety of ruses.
Here are some examples:
- Several victims purchased gift cards with a total loss of over $10,00 after receiving requests in fake emails from employers and friends.
- A victim purchased over $9,000 worth of gift cards after receiving a call from someone claiming to be from a financial institution regarding unauthorized activity on a credit card.
- Several victims lost a total of over $2,000 after starting what turned out to be fake, work-from-home jobs, and were instructed by the “employer” to purchase gift cards.
The details can differ slightly, but the common denominator is the purchase of gift cards. The South Simcoe Police Service urges residents to protect themselves with a few simple tips:
- Requests for the purchase of gift cards are a huge red flag. Be suspicious of these requests and always independently verify the source of emails.
- Hang up the phone if you receive one of these calls or delete emails.· Call your bank or credit card company directly to verify the legitimacy of people claiming to be investigators or representatives.
· Call family members, friends or Police to verify and discuss what’s happening, especially if the caller instructs you tonotconverse with anyone about it.
· Protect your personal information. Never give out your name, date of birth, Social Insurance Number, address, banking and credit card information or passwords to anyone you don’t know.
· If you didn’t initiate the call, you don’t know who you’re talking to so again – hang up.
· No legitimate organization will contact you and ask for payment in gift cards or prepaid credit cards.
Resist the natural reaction to act immediately and make decisions you otherwise wouldn’t make. Scammers are experts at creating a sense of panic and urgency.
Always report fraud to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling toll free 1-888-495-8501. Your information could assist an investigation, provide links between incidents, and assist police with our prevention and awareness efforts. Please share this information. Thank you to the victims who came forward so we can warn others and investigate.