Oceanside RCMP are once again warning residents to be wary of online scams, after over $100,000 was stolen from someone who thought they were investing in artificial intelligence. (Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

be wary

‘Too good to be true:’ over $100,000 scammed from Oceanside residents through fake online ads

Jul 4, 2025 | 4:11 PM

PARKSVILLE — RCMP in Oceanside are reminding residents if an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, chances are it probably is.

This warning comes after multiple residents reported being scammed out of thousands of dollars recently, after responding to online advertisements.

Sgt. Shane Worth said in May, a Parksville resident reported they were scammed out of over $100,000 after responding to an online ad to invest in artificial intelligence using cryptocurrency.

“It initially started with a small investment, about $250, and then the person continued to send money over a period of weeks in $10,000 increments by E-transfer. This ended up totalling $110,000. The person tried to withdraw their money and the company did allow some withdrawals to occur, but at that point, they said they were non-compliant and they started requesting more and more money.”

Worth said the person then realized it was likely a scam and did an internet search of the company, which came back with “red flags all over the place” advising not to invest.

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“When they were speaking to the investigator, the person did realize the investment and the returns were probably too good to be true, and finally, when the penny dropped, they realized they’d been scammed.”

He said fraudsters use sophisticated methods to hide behind an “international web of zeros and ones,” making the recovery of stolen funds nearly impossible.

Worth said if you plan on putting money towards any investment, ensure you speak to a trusted, reputable source like a bank or financial advisor, or at the very least, do an internet search of the company.

And with the advancements in AI, he implores would-be investors to do their research and not to make rash decisions.

Avoid clicking on pop-ups, ads over social media, or unsolicited emails, with scammers often using high-pressure sales tactics to get you to “invest” as quickly as possible.

“It may look like an email from someone you know or a contact that you’ve trusted, or it comes up on someone’s Facebook feed that you know or trust. Those can be manipulated to be not from that person you think you’re getting an email from, or whose socials you’re looking at. You don’t always know that what you see on the internet is true, especially on social media.”

Worth said they try and get the word out about these scams as often as possible so people can be aware and take steps to protect themselves.

He said they also regularly meet with various community and social groups for presentations on scams to watch out for.

This wasn’t the only Oceanside resident to lose money to a scam recently.

A fraudster pretending to be from a bank managed to get $10,000 from an Oceanside resident, while another person lost $5,000 recently when a fake online company requested payment in cryptocurrency.

And $500 was lost when someone attempted to purchase footwear online, with a catch the payment needed to be in the form of gift cards.

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