Scammers have pilfered thousands from one Nanaimo resident using a common gift-card scam. (Dreamstime)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

common scam

Nanaimo senior loses $15K after fraudster poses as bank employee

Jan 10, 2023 | 4:25 PM

NANAIMO — A Nanaimo senior is out thousands after falling victim to a gift card scam.

A woman was phoned on Jan 3 by someone claiming to work for CIBC, who said they needed her to buy $15,000 in gift cards to ‘test’ to see if her debit visa card was working, Nanaimo RCMP reported.

Cst. Gary O’Brien said over the next several hours she rode in a taxi to travel to multiple businesses to buy up the gift cards.

“When she arrived home, she then received another call and she was asked to read off the ten-digit codes on the back of each card. Shortly afterwards, she realized it was a scam and she’s now working with the bank to see if she can recoup any of her losses.”

O’Brien said this type of scheme is all too common, and it’s tough to get your money back once the scammer has the gift cards codes.

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“The bank will never call you and direct you to do something like that, and any credible company will never ask for you to purchase gift cards in return for something else.”

He said gift cards are becoming more popular to scam people, as they are easily purchased, readily available, and don’t seem suspicious when they are purchased in small amounts from multiple locations.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to get any of her money back.

“It’s very difficult. It’s really up to the bank and the individual, but by looking at this I don’t think she has any hope of getting her money back.”

If you suspect you are being scammed, call your local police agency, or check with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) for an up-to-date list of all the current frauds and scams being perpetrated across Canada.

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