{"id":860,"date":"2017-03-03T01:25:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T01:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/?p=860"},"modified":"2017-03-03T01:27:51","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T01:27:51","slug":"860","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/?p=860","title":{"rendered":"Fraud protection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Surrey RCMP News Release
\nFOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
\nDate:\u00a0 2017-02-28<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Title:\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about Fraud!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Male meets female online. Friendly conversations ensue. Female asks male to help handle her father\u2019s estate. Cheque is mailed, cheque is cashed, cheque determined fraudulent. Female\u2019s online profile is gone. Male out $9,000.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Sports fan buys tickets on Craigslist. Tickets turn out fraudulent. Sports fan is out $350.<\/em><\/p>\n

Female receives text message about lottery winnings. Cheque arrives, cheque is deposited with some funds transferred back for \u201cinsurance\u201d purposes. Cheque later determined to be fraudulent. Female out $900.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Surrey RCMP\u2019s Operational Communications Centre receives hundreds of these types of fraud complaints each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d says Operational Communications Centre Manager Lindsay Scott. \u201cFraud is so prevalent, it seems everyone you talk to has a story to tell about someone trying to defraud them out of their money.\u201d<\/p>\n

With March being Fraud Prevention Month<\/a>, the Surrey RCMP\u2019s Economic Crime Unit is reminding residents about some common scams and how to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

Even police officers have stories<\/strong><\/p>\n

One Surrey RCMP officer describes how his grandmother was scammed by the \u201cgrandparent scam<\/a>\u201d. This scam involves someone on the phone pretending to be a grandchild in trouble and needing money to get out of a jam.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s on a fixed income and lives by herself so $500 was a lot,\u201d says the officer. \u201cShe is still so embarrassed by it that she refuses to report it. Her grandchildren aren\u2019t the type to get into trouble, so one would think that she would be wise to this ruse, but it goes to show you that anyone can be a victim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can You Hear Me?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new scam that the Surrey RCMP\u2019s Economic Crime Unit is warning people about is the \u201cCan You Hear Me<\/a>?<\/u>\u201d scam. It has been widely reported on in the United States and is now making its way up to Canada. It essentially involves phone calls being made by scammers asking the victim \u201ccan you hear me?\u201d When the victim says \u201cYes\u201d, the fraudster records it and then uses your affirmative response to purchase and sign up the victim to various consumer goods and services that they didn\u2019t agree to.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get \u201cover-taxed\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tax season is just around the corner and police warn that they\u2019re expecting more fraudulent Canada Revenue Agency<\/u><\/a> phone scams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile people may have become more educated due to the sheer volume of this type of fraud last year, there\u2019s a strong possibility that it will pop up again and catch people off guard,\u201d says Surrey RCMP Constable Brad Edwards of the Economic Crime Unit.<\/p>\n

Show me the money!<\/strong>
\nTax time is also when business owners, especially small business owners, rely on their in-house bookkeepers to ensure their books are balanced. Sometimes, however, employers may not realize that they have been\u00a0the victim of internal fraud before it’s too late. Surrey RCMP has received calls from business owners who have stumbled upon irregularities in their banking records only to realize fraudulent activity by those they have entrusted with their finances. It serves as another reminder about ensuring internal fraud safeguards and best practices are in place.<\/p>\n

The postman always rings twice<\/strong>
\nOne of the easiest ways for fraudsters to gain access to your personal information is by stealing your identity. Over the past two months, the Surrey RCMP has seen a slight rise in theft from communal mailboxes at townhouses and apartment complexes. While officers have made some recent arrests of prolific property crime offenders, public vigilance is key in preventing this type of theft \u2013 keep your eye out for anyone suspicious.<\/p>\n

What can you do?
\n<\/strong>\u201cCheck your mail regularly, be diligent in checking your credit card statements and tracking online purchases, and if it\u2019s too good to be true it probably is,\u201d says Cst. Edwards. \u201cUse only reliable online sources and contact the company directly if you\u2019re still unsure. Always protect sensitive financial information. If you don\u2019t recognize the phone number, don\u2019t answer it. They can always leave a message. And don\u2019t forget to report all frauds to the police!\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on scam and fraud prevention please visit the Surrey RCMP\u2019s website<\/u><\/a>. If you are a victim of fraud, please contact your local police and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Committed to serving the Community<\/p>\n

Your Surrey RCMP<\/u><\/a> is committed to providing a sensitive, responsive, professional policing service for all Surrey communities. For more information about Surrey RCMP Programs & Services<\/u><\/a>, how to Protect Yourself<\/u><\/a>, or our latest News Releases<\/u><\/a> visit www.surrey.rcmp.ca<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nFor media inquiries contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cpl. Scotty Schumann
\nMedia Relations Officer
\nSurrey RCMP Media Relations Unit
\nOffice: 604.599.7776
\nEmail: surrey_media_relations@rcmp-grc.gc.ca<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Surrey RCMP News Release FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION Date:\u00a0 2017-02-28 \u00a0Title:\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about Fraud! Male meets female online. Friendly conversations ensue. Female asks male to help handle her father\u2019s estate. Cheque is mailed, cheque is cashed, cheque determined fraudulent. Female\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=860"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":866,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions\/866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhca.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}