Old time fraud scheme pops up again in BC

It’s one of the older fraud scams out there, but it still must be working. The RCMP out of Chilliwack have warned their community of the old Bank Examiner Fraud which has apparently found new life in their community.

In the recent case an elderly citizen of the Chilliwack area, met with the “inspector” and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash, which of course has now vanished along with the ever so helpful “bank inspector”.

While it has not been reported in our neck of the woods yet, these things work in cycles so best to be aware of it should the scam arrive here.

As in any situation, no one should be asking for your money, your credit information or things of that nature, if in any doubt contact your bank branch manager and ask questions.

The phone busters website has a number of items of current frauds out there, something worth looking at from time to time to keep up to speed on what the crooks are up to in their quest to steal our money.


Community Warning.
Fraud Alert

The Chilliwack RCMP would like to remind the public of a few basic Fraud Prevention tips. Just last week, an elderly Chilliwack resident was the victim of a fraud , having lost an undisclosed amount of money in the process.

In this particular case, the male suspect used the following scheme to lure the victim into providing him with money.

An individual claiming to be a bank examiner contacts you by phone, and requests your assistance and cooperation in helping them uncover a suspected dishonest bank employee. You are asked to withdraw a specified amount of cash from your account. The "Bank Examiner" takes your money on the premise of verifying the serial numbers. You never see the Fraud Artist / Bank Examiner OR your money again.

More and more desperate thieves and fraud artists will pretend to be from the Security Department of a Financial Institution or Credit Card Company, therefore adding credibility to their fraudulent requests. You are never obliged to provide any personal information whatsoever and in doubt, always ask for the caller's supervisor, phone number and other pertinent information.

The RCMP is involved in a National Task Force known as “ Project Phonebusters” that was established to combat telemarketing fraud.

The public can visit the Website at www.phonebusters.com or call the toll-free line at 1-888-495-8501, in order to learn more ways to protect yourself, your family and friends.