At least a dozen bank and credit card scams have been reported to Nanaimo RCMP over five days, prompting a warning from police.
Losses to the scams range from $1,000 to $2,500 and the victims’ ages range from late 20s to late 60s, according to RCMP.
As part of the scam, the victim will receive a call from someone claiming to be from VISA or from a bank. The caller tells the victim suspicious transactions have been charged to their account.
The victim is then told the only way to remove the suspicious transactions is to buy gift cards or pre-paid credit cards.
Nanaimo RCMP say victims have been directed to London Drugs, Canadian Tire, and Walmart specifically to purchase the cards.
On Aug. 23, Nanaimo RCMP say employees at Best Buy clued in that a person was the victim of a scam, and stopped them from buying $3,500 in pre-paid credit cards.
The employee had a discussion with the person and was able to convince them it was a scam.
These scammers are quite convincing but it is important to remember that accredited financial institutions or online merchants will never direct you to purchase gift cards or pre-paid credit cards,
said R/Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a news release.
READ MORE: Canadians saw historic losses to scams in 2021: Competition Bureau Canada
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