What's Up Now: RCMP Release

Date: January 27, 2021Share

RCMP educate public regarding fraud

St. Albert RCMP want to educate the public about another fraud scam that is not new but seems to be circulating in the community again. A scammer notifies an individual that their credit card has been compromised, may state the victim owes money to Revenue Canada or the fraudster may pose as a boss or someone in a high ranking title from a business. In order to catch the criminal(s), pay your outstanding debt or assist the boss/business/company, the fraudster requests the victim to purchase a certain amount of prepaid gift cards such as:

The fraudster then asks the victim to provide them with the personalized numbers on the back of the prepaid gift card(s), allowing the fraudster to obtain the cash value of the card and use it to purchase things on the internet or sell the gift cards to others.

This past week a St. Albert senior was asked to purchase $2000 worth of prepaid Google Play cards, believing their credit card had been compromised but a quick thinking employee at a local business recognized something was not right and did not authorize the transaction, referring the senior to the RCMP.

St. Albert RCMP want to remind the public that if you are ever asked by someone in an email or on the phone to purchase prepaid gifts cards, no matter what it is for or who the individual is, do not do it.

If you have been a victim of fraud or would like more information on all the different fraudulent scams in Canada, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

Anyone who has information on any crime is asked to contact the St. Albert RCMP Detachment at 780-458-7700 or their local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play.

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