Nowadays, with social media taking over the online-shopping scene in competition with sites like Craigslist and Kijiji, the potential to be swindled out of money is a possibility.
This was the case as reported to PrinceGeorgeMatters, and confirmed by RCMP, after several residents were scammed out of hundreds of dollars through a fake profile on Facebook.
One Quesnel resident claims they and five other people lost money after the person went into a local buy-and-sell group, posted items up for sale, received e-transfers and disappeared.
The account’s profile also falsely claimed PrinceGeorgeMatters as its workplace.
The person is not associated with our company in any way.
“If there’s a deal that’s probably too good to be true, it probably is,” said RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass to PrinceGeorgeMatters, reiterating the steps you can take to avoid getting scammed.
“If you’re buying an item, be very careful before you give your money away and check to make sure it’s a legitimate service or business.”
Online buy-and-sell companies have credentials, but individual sellers on social media, on the other hand, may not always be honest.
With Facebook’s Marketplace being as popular as it is, some users are enticed by an offer they don’t want to pass up and have someone else take advantage of the deal.
But, before you or a loved one agrees to an online purchase, Douglass encourages everyone to educate themselves.
“There’s plenty of tips on the internet to preventing yourself; it’s a black book for frauds, so you can always check the Anti-Fraud Centre or the Federal Business Bureau to review these things. Senior citizens especially; the eldest are often victims and often embarrassed to come forward. Make sure you’re working them and teaching them how to avoid these situations.”
You can visit the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre (CAFC) website at www.antifraudcentre.ca and learn about current fraud trends in addition to how to protect yourself.
The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre is a partnership between the RCMP.
- Do not give out personal information.
- Never provide your personal info to someone over the phone or through the internet
- Banks, financial institutions and utility companies do not call their clients to confirm personal information including your personal identification number (PIN), social insurance number (SIN) or date of birth
- Hang up and call your local branch or office
- Do not send money.
- Often the victims believe the person is truly a grandchild, they don’t even take the time to call the grandchild at home to confirm
- If you get a request from someone you believe to be a loved one asking for money, ask them questions that only they would know
- Do not provide access to your computer.
- Providing someone remote access to your computer gives them full control
- They can download ‘phishing’ programs and other viruses that can access your sensitive information
- Do not purchase items to win a prize.
- In a legitimate contest, you do not have to purchase a product or pay a fee to receive the prize
- Do not click on web links or reply to any e-mail requesting personal information.
- Legitimate businesses that require this information (such as your bank) will already have it and will never request you to verify it
- with files from Hanna Petersen, PrinceGeorgeMatters
