Kingston Police are warning everyone to be aware of a recent scam that cost a resident in Kingston to lose around $20,000.
On April 22nd a resident was phoned about several large purchases made which turned out to be fraudulent.
The victim was told their identity had been stolen and used for drug trafficking and money laundering in the US.
The victim was told to withdraw funds by someone posing as a fake RCMP officer and convert it to bitcoin.
Kingston Police suggest the following to avoid becoming a victim of fraud:
• If contacted by anyone claiming to represent a company with whom you do business, your financial institution, or even the Police, especially if they are seeking any personal information, do the following: hang up, look up the number for yourself, and call back to confirm if the call is legitimate.
• Your financial institution will never call you and ask you to confirm personal details or ask for a two-step verification code.
• The police or your financial institution will never call and ask you to assist them in catching a fraudster, especially by withdrawing your money to keep safe or to act as bait.
• If you are asked to send money by purchasing gift cards or using a Bitcoin ATM, this is a fraud.
• When in doubt pause to think about the situation, contact a few other people and describe the situation to them: Take 5 and Tell 5.
