The Thunder Bay Police Service is warning the public about a scam involving fraudsters using fake social media accounts to appear as if they are friends or family of their victims.
In one such recent case police learned of a local Facebook user who received a direct message from an account that appeared to belong to a relative.
The fraudster, posing as the victim’s daughter, informed the target about a benefit that was owed to them. Trusting they were speaking to a family member, the victim followed instructions provided to them by the fraudster.
This led to a series of interactions through Facebook, which ultimately led to the victim being defrauded of a thousand dollars. The victim soon learned they were the target of a fraud and ignored other requests for funds.
To protect yourself from frauds, the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Economic Crime Unit would like to remind everyone to make independent contact with anyone requesting money or services. You have the right to hang up the phone, close your door, delete emails, or ignore direct messages to anyone making unsolicited requests from you.
This is true for strangers claiming to be representatives of government agencies, businesses, or other institutions. This is also true for people claiming to be your real-life friends or family members. By contacting the person independently, especially face-to-face, you can verify the individual and claims are legitimate.
Remember that scammers have easy access to a lot of your personal information via social media. Fraudulent accounts using your name and likeness are easy to make and can be used to target your friends lists. Take time to familiarize yourself with the security settings and adjust them to help keep yourself secure. However, keep in mind that even the strictest security settings may be easily circumvented by would-be fraudsters who want to clone your account.
Please take time to speak to your more vulnerable friends and family members who may be more aggressively targeted by these kinds of scams.
To learn more about frauds and scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/cryptocurrency-cryptomonnaie-eng.htm