WOMAN GIVES FRAUDSTER CREDIT, DEBIT CARDS — BUT ‘UNEASY’ SHE QUICKLY LOCKS ACCOUNTS

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BRACEBRIDGE — Bold, brazen and part naïve, Muskoka police are reporting a new trend where fraudsters show up in person to collect cash or bank cards in an apparent attempt to increase their believability.

And it happened here last night.

At 7:30 p.m., Dec. 11, police received a call from the victim of a fraud who said she’d received a call from a phone number they recognized as their bank. The person said her credit and debit cards had been compromised and they were sending a courier to pick them up.

A short time later, a person arrived at the victim’s home and collected the cards.

The victim became uneasy with the process and was able to lock her accounts and report the incident to her bank and police, who said her quick thinking prevented anyone from accessing her funds.

Police say as members of the public become more informed and educated about online transactions, fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated. Police are strongly recommending that people slow the process down and second check and verify all information that they receive.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is Canada’s national, joint force anti-fraud repository whose mandate includes gathering intelligence on all types of frauds and analyzing the data that helps guide police investigations. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also provides education and awareness on fraud prevention, to become educated on the many different types of fraud that may affect you, please visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

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