Banking Scam Hits Woodstock

Monday, 18 March 2019 16:12

Police are warning the public about a scam involving RBC making the rounds during Fraud Prevention Month.

WOODSTOCK - March is Fraud Prevention Month and Woodstock Police is reminding residents to be cautious.

During tax season and the months following there is often an influx of residents reporting they have received fraudulent calls from someone claiming to work for the CRA and various banking institutes.

Recently a Woodstock resident reported a scam from someone claiming to work for RBC. When you first answer the phone, it will ask you to press 1 if you are a cardholder. They will then ask you personal questions like date of birth that you enter with the keypad on your phone. You then talk to someone who “sounds very professional” and will tell you there is a problem with your banking and in order to resolve the problem, credit card information is needed. Police are telling everyone to never give personal information like this over the phone.

Woodstock Police are telling everyone to be aware of the following:

- Unknown or strange numbers (ie. 1-234-567-8910 or 777-777-7778)

- Aggressive sales pitches or threats (“limited time offer”, “today only”, “just between you and me”, etc.)

- Links in emails – if you have signed up for an online account with CRA, go directly to the CRA website and log in from there rather than clicking the link in an email.

- Popups on social media or websites (“YOU’VE WON!”, “Easy buck!”, etc.)

- Vague information or details

Tips for avoiding scams:

- Trust your gut – if it seems too good to be true it likely is.

- Avoid returning phone calls to unknown callers

- Avoid opening emails from unknown senders

- Avoid providing personal information (including social insurance number, credit card number, bank account information or passport number)

- Never share access codes, user ID or PIN numbers

- Use a trusted tax preparer

What to do if you are a victim – from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:

Step 1: Gather all information about the fraud. This includes documents, receipts, copies of emails and/or text messages.

Step 2: Report the incident to your local law enforcement. This ensures that your police of jurisdiction is aware of what scams are targeting their residents and businesses. Keep a log of all your calls and record all file or occurrence numbers.

Step 3: Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or through the Fraud Reporting System (FRS). www.antifraudcentre.ca

Step 4: Report the incident to the financial institution where the money was sent (e.g., money service business such as Western Union or MoneyGram, bank or credit union, credit card company or internet payment service provider).

Step 5: If the fraud took place online through Facebook, eBay, a classified ad such as Kijiji or a dating website, be sure to report the incident directly to the website. These details can be found under "report abuse" or "report an ad."

Step 6: Victims of identity fraud should place flags on all their accounts and report to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.