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Fraud Alert | Bank Impersonators Utilize Gift Cards in $6,000 Scam

News Releases
Date Published: 21 Jan 2020, Last Updated: 15 May 2025

File: 20-2058Victoria, BC – Officers are warning the public after a Victoria man was victimized by scammers who claimed to be members of a bank’s “fraud sting team.”On January 13th, 2020, a man reported that he was the victim of a telephone scam that utilized gift cards. The man reported that he received a telephone call from a man and a woman who claimed that they were members of his bank’s “fraud sting team”, and that his accounts were compromised.The victim was then invited to participate in an “undercover operation” to catch the person who had compromised his accounts. The victim was directed to purchase a number of $100 gift cards at various retailers. The victim then provided the gift card information and PIN numbers over the phone. The victim was advised to attend his bank’s main branch to speak with an investigator in order to be reimbursed.In total, the victim lost $6,000 in the scam.This incident is a recent example of the deception utilized by telephone scammers. Please be aware of this scam and never provide financial information over the phone.What to do if you receive one of these calls, but didn’t give out personal information or money:You don’t need to report it to us directly.We encourage you to report the fraud attempt to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or online at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm.The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre keeps law enforcement partners across Canada informed about the latest fraud attempts and the best ways to counter them.What to do if you receive one of these calls and gave out personal information or money:It is important to act quickly if you’ve received one of these calls and have given out personal information or money. If you are in the process of providing financial information or sending money to potential fraudsters – stop immediately.Contact your financial institutions and ensure all payments that you have not authorized are stopped. Inform them of the fraud and change both passwords and access information. Please also call our non-emergency number at (250) 995-7654 to report the incident.For more information on keeping yourself safe from fraud, please visit vicpd.ca/fraud

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