Nanaimo RCMP are warning residents about a phone scam involving someone pretending to be from your bank, with over $90,000 recently stolen from two people. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Over $90,000 lost

Phone scams result in significant losses: Nanaimo RCMP

Aug 6, 2024 | 3:59 PM

NANAIMO — RCMP say a pair of local victims lost thousands of dollars in a costly scam involving a phony financial representative.

Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said in the past month a man and woman lost nearly $95,000 combined to somebody claiming to be working with the ‘RBC Fraud Department.’

He said both callers were told they needed to transfer money and relinquished personal banking information after being told their accounts were compromised by fraudsters.

“As soon as that happened the money started flowing out of their accounts and in one case $5,000 was gone and another one almost $90,000,” O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The victims were a man in his 40’s and a woman in her 50’s.

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O’Brien said reputable financial institutions will never ask for personal banking information over the phone.

He said it’s critically important for people to be diligent in these cases.

“For example, if you receive a phone call from somebody and you’re not quite certain, please go to the back of your debit card, go to the back of your credit, there’s a phone number that’s legitimate, confirm what’s going on.”

O’Brien said these types of fraudsters often use spoofing technology to manipulate their recipient’s Caller ID function, making these types of crimes extremely difficult to investigate.

“They’re not impossible to solve, but they take a lot of time and energy.”

On top of reporting fraud to your local police department, people are encouraged to file reports to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The federal agency reported more than 21,500 reports of frauds in the country in the first six months of the year, involving nearly 16,000 victims and $284 million worth of losses.

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