At least two elderly Nelson residents fell victim to a telephone fraud scam in the past two weeks.
Nelson RCMP is warning the public about a scam that successfully netted $4000 in total.
In this scam, a person claiming to be a distant relative currently in jail calls the victim asking money to be “wired” within the hour to his lawyer to get out of jail. The amount is usually $2000.
A second person joins the conversation playing the role of the lawyer.
“At that point, the ‘lawyer’ will provide his/her name and provide instructions as to how to send the money via an electronic money transfer and that you will be reimbursed the money in days to follow once the relative is out of jail,” says a release issued by the RCMP.
Instructions require the victim to call a telephone number to advise that the money has been sent. The person playing the role of the lawyer is “insistent” the victim not tell anyone, especially the police, about the request and any money being sent.
“Nelson RCMP want to remind the public not to act on any request or to share any personal information with person(s) and/or business(es) who have not provided you with the sufficient documentation to satisfy their identity and credibility,” warn police.
To report a fraud, contact your local Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can be contacted toll free at 1-888-495-8501, e-mail at info@antifraudcentre.ca. To obtain further information about the latest common fraud scam types please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at https://www.anitfraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca