Regional police warn youth of IM scammers
Posted May 27, 2023 09:58:30 AM.
Last Updated May 27, 2023 10:58:26 AM.
According to regional police, young people are being targeted by scammers involving instant messaging.
Police say it involves the scammer sending a message about a money-making opportunity via instant message to the victim.
The scammer then asks the victim to deposit a cheque for them, while telling the victim to keep a portion of that money and send the rest via e-transfer to the scammer.
The scammer will provide the victim a photo of a cheque and once deposited, the money is initially available to the victim but will cause their account to be overdrawn after the cheque bounces.
Police say there are ways to protect yourself.
When someone asks you to transfer part of a cheques funds for any purpose you can be sure it’s a scam, always be aware of who your accepting cheques from and do no spend money from any cheque until the money has been cleared from your bank.
If you believe you’ve been a victim you can file a complaint with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or contact police.
