Last week, the local RCMP received a report from a Trail woman that she was conned out of $1,900 by someone claiming to be her son and needing money.
The woman said she was contacted by text and then transferred the money electronically via email to the person claiming to be her son.
She grew suspicious when asked to transfer more after the first transaction.
The woman contacted her sons who informed her that it wasn’t them who texted her, and she had been scammed.
Unfortunately, the money cannot be recovered due to it being electronically transferred.
“Anyone can fall for a phone, text, and email scam as they are simple to execute yet often have sophisticated criminal networks running them,” advises Sgt. Mike Wicentowich.
If you are not sure about the legitimacy of the request, make sure you double check with the person that you are sending money to, he adds.
“Fraud is a multi billion-dollar business, and education is your best defence against becoming a victim.”
