MEDICINE HAT, AB – This month the Medicine Hat Police Service is reminding the community on steps they can take to recognize and prevent fraud.
March is the 19th annual Fraud Prevention Month in Canada.
Last year, the Medicine Hat Police Service responded to 470 calls for service relating to frauds. The total amount lost was over $1 million.
Common online scams target users on marketplaces like Facebook or Kijiji.
Police are advising the community to not make down payments when using online marketplaces, and always meet the seller in person in a safe public area.
Sgt. Adam Gregory with the Medicine Hat Police Community Support Unit says online links through social media and sent by email that offer free money should also raise red flags.
“We need to always remember if it appears too good to be true it probably is. As much as we want to believe that we are related to royalty in some other country and we are part of someone’s will and inheritance that we’ve never heard of, it’s very unlikely,” says Gregory.
Police suggest avoiding making any payments with gift cards or cryptocurrency as most companies will not request payment for goods or services in this form.
“Those are all red flags of payment types that will not be legitimate,” adds Gregory.
Scammers continue to find new ways to exploit their victims, costing Canadians $530 million in losses last year.
“So whether it’s through a phone text message, a phone call, an e-mail or a link on the internet, all these are designed to make contact with us, intrigue us and get us to provide information or money… Be cautious, don’t commit to anything right away, if it does seem too good to be true again likely is,” says Gregory.
For more information on common frauds and scams in the country click here.
