Saanich police are issuing a warning following a string of courier frauds that has cost the victims thousands of dollars.
Police report four courier frauds have been investigated in the past four months, including one which saw the victim defrauded of $12,000. Another victim was persuaded to hand over their bank card, which was used for fraudulent transactions and attempts to open bank accounts in their name. The two other incidents were interrupted, with no money lost. So far, there have been no arrests.
"In all of these cases, a courier physically attended the victims’ home residences," said Const. Nick Murray in a release.
He said an Uber was used for transportation in some of the crimes, although police do not currently believe the drivers are complicit in the offences.
"In crimes of this type, victims are typically contacted by phone and persuaded to withdraw large amounts of cash, usually under the pretense that their bank account has been compromised," said Murray. "A courier then arrives to collect the victim’s money or bank cards. The criminals often pretend to be representatives of the bank, such as the fraud unit or security investigators."
Police note fraudsters will sometimes spoof the phone numbers of local phones or trusted institutions, so that the Caller ID adds to the believability of the scam. It is a normal tactic of scammers to pressure victims into acting quickly, before they have time to reflect on what is going on, and to stay on the line with them.
The public is advised to take their time, hang up and call their bank directly, using either the phone number on the back of their credit card or the one listed on their bank’s website.
"In some scams, the caller will say the bank tellers are corrupt and the victim must lie when withdrawing funds if asked why they are doing so," said Murray.
He said banks or law enforcement will never send a courier to a private residence and take a customer’s savings for investigation or safekeeping, and there are no circumstances when a customer should lie to their bank about why they are withdrawing funds.
People are reminded to never hand over money, bank cards or ID documents to couriers, in these circumstances.
If a member of the public feels that they have been a victim of fraud, no matter the dollar amount, they are advised to report it to police. The SPD non-emergency line is 250-475-4321.
