We’ve been covering scams in this column for more than two decades. Thank goodness for the opportunity to be able to cover them in this paper, whether they are electronic, based on emails, text messages, or fake websites, or whether they depend on the old-fashioned landline phone call.

Fortunately, as we covered in a recent column involving a reader who unwittingly permitted their webmail account to become compromised, many of us are quick to recognize a scam and brush aside emails, text messages, or phone calls seeking to perpetrate harm. However, there clearly remain enough potential victims for these schemes to remain profitable.

Recently, the Vancouver Police Department put out an alert on the “fake bank employee - fake police officer” scam in which victims are duped into believing they are aiding their bank to combat some sort of suspicious activity involving their account. Variants of this scam have existed for years.

Let’s take a look at the entire VPD release on this. Read it carefully. 

#VPDNews: Vancouver Police are warning the public to be cautious of an ongoing scam involving fake bank employees and fake police officers working together.

In these cases, a victim gets a call from someone claiming to be from their bank, saying there’s suspicious activity on their account. The caller asks for the victim’s help with an “investigation,” sometimes mentioning a bank employee.

While still on the call, the victim receives a second call that appears to come from the Vancouver Police Department. The victim switches over, and the caller claims to be a police officer investigating the same issue. The “officer” tells the victim to keep cooperating with the bank and says they’ll follow up later.

The victim then goes back to the “bank” caller, who says money has been deposited into their account. They instruct the victim to go to a bitcoin ATM, buy bitcoin for that same amount, and send it to them.

Days later, they contact police for a follow up and realize they have been scammed. In total, some victims have lost approximately $10,000.

“We want to remind people that no police officer will ever recommend you send money or bitcoin to someone you don’t know,” says Constable Megan Lui. “A bank will not ask you to help them with an investigation, and they will never ask you to send bitcoin. If you receive a call like this, please hang up and contact your bank directly.”

If you believe you have been a victim to this scam, or you know someone who has, please call the VPD non-emergency line at 604-717-3321 to make a report.

Repeat after me: “I will not act on a call from a bank involving the movement of money. I will make such a movement myself, either in person, or online in a session I initiate.”

Likewise, repeat after me: “I won’t let calls or messages, suggesting immediate action is required,  short-circuit my critical thinking skills.”

Banks simply do not make calls with these sorts of scenarios. Police do not make calls with these sorts of scenarios. While we are at it, police don’t send out text messages demanding immediate payment for parking infractions. Perhaps, like me, you’ve seen a few of these texts in recent weeks. As always, to someone, they may sound believable, and there may be a temptation to pay, usually driven by a pay-now incentive rather than pay more tomorrow. 

As this column was being written, the Waterloo Regional Police Service released a warning about a variation of the “investigator” scam operating in their area which saw a reported $100,000 defrauded from several victims, with likely a lot more not reported due to victim embarrassment.

In this case, the variation uses spoofing technology, which causes the calls from “the bank” to appear legitimate by displaying the bank name and a believable phone number. The caller convinces the victim to aid the bank in combating suspicious activity by either disclosing bank account or bank card data and any PINs, or in the more blatant cases, having a “bank officer” or courier drop by to pick up the card or cards. Game over at this point!

As have other agencies, the Waterloo Police issued these commonsense reminders, pertaining to these types of scams. Be wary, they say, of:

For comprehensive background material on frauds and scams check out the Canadian government site at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca

Want to become more aware of scams, and learn about public safety measures you can adopt? Consider attending a free Community Safety & FireSmart Forum on May 30, 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM at the Wheelhouse Theatre in South Surrey. This multifaceted loss mitigation educational event covers scam awareness, FireSmart wildfire mitigation, DIY target hardening techniques, and emergency preparedness. More, including registration, at Globalscamwatch.org/forum