The RCMP is warning residents in Keremeos about an ongoing scam campaign on social media.
Over the last month, the Keremeos detachment has received multiple reports of scams over Facebook involving impersonated accounts.
In one recent occurrence, a victim was contacted by someone on Facebook, claiming to be their relative.
The suspect had created a fake profile in the name of the victim’s relative and used photos and other public data to replicate the relative’s account.
The fraudster then claimed they could help the victim obtain grant money from the government, at one point claiming it could be worth upwards of $50,000.
As part of the scam, the fraudster attempts to convince the victim into releasing personal information to help apply for the fake grant.
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In other recent cases, the fraudster has been successful in convincing the victim to send them money to process a grant application. However, the fraudster continues to ask for more funds, with reasoning such as fees and other expenses incurred while applying for the money on their behalf.
“RCMP in many jurisdictions are experiencing similar kinds of social media fraud complaints,”said RCMP media relations officer Const. James Grandy. “It’s important for the public to understand that no government agency will ever contact them via social media to complete applications, or to verify private information. If one is contacted by someone on social media claiming to be a close friend or relative, they should use other means to confirm the authenticity.”
For more information about these kinds of scams, please visit the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security website.
If you believe you have been scammed or are the victim of an attempted scam, contact the Keremeos RCMP at 250-499-5511 or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-8889-495-8501 or online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
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