Be wary of anyone asking for money, warn police.
The Squamish RCMP have received numerous reports of fraud over the past several weeks, and are reminding the public to stay vigilant when asked for money.
There have been 18 such scam reports already in 2024, RCMP say.
One common scam involves a potential victim receiving a call from someone posing as a family member who requests money for bail, or hospital bills, according to a Feb. 6 news release from local RCMP.
The caller gains personal information and addresses, then poses as a "bail collector" at the local's home to collect the money.
The amounts requested have ranged from $5,000 to $10,000.
Another common form of fraud being reported to police involves "fire extinguisher checks." Typically, someone calls a business and says that its fire extinguishers have expired.
The fraudster tells the employee that they have spoken to the manager and the employee needs to "take action, as the money needs to be immediately transferred," according to the release.
The caller requests the funds be transferred as gift cards or Bitcoin.
The threat is that if the money isn't transferred, the business will be shut down.
"It appears the caller may have visited the businesses in the days or weeks prior as the caller knows particulars about the business, including managers, and employee names," the release states.
In some reports to police, while the employee was on the phone with one person, a second person either came to the business or sent a text message to the employee posing as a manager.
"Police, bail supervisors or other legitimate persons or business representatives will not attend a residence to obtain money or request transfers to be in a gift card or Bitcoin,” said Sgt. Dallas Langley, of the Squamish RCMP, in the release.
“These scams can happen to anyone, don't feel pressured or hustled; and slow down to take a minute before providing any information or money. Call your local police to report scam calls."
To learn more about current frauds and scams, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
