The Victoria Police Department is warning the public after fraudsters claiming to be VicPD officers and Canada Post representatives stole from a victim in what police called a sophisticated scam involving Bitcoin, number spoofing, impersonation and the use of "voice over IP" calling.
During the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 4, VicPD was contacted by a victim who reported receiving a call from the VicPD non-emergency number displayed on their caller ID. The caller claimed the victim was under investigation for fraud and instructed them to withdraw $3,000 from the bank, go to a specific ATM to buy Bitcoin, and send it to a designated account.
The victim withdrew the cash and sent $900, but chose to call police back before sending the remaining amount.
The victim said they initially received a call from someone claiming to be with Canada Post, who accurately recited the victim’s address. The caller then requested a picture of the victim’s ID for “verification” and claimed that a package containing fake IDs linked to the victim’s address had been intercepted at the border. The scammer warned that law enforcement would freeze the victim’s bank accounts for money laundering unless a fine was paid in Bitcoin.
"Unfortunately, in this case it is unlikely the victim’s money will be recovered," noted a release from VicPD.
VicPD says “number spoofing” is a tactic that cybercriminals use to trick victims' call display into impersonating a legitimate number and authority. VicPD officers and staff have received scam calls with the non-emergency number displayed on the call display.
The use of “voice over IP” calling and artificial intelligence automates number spoofing, making it easier for professional fraudsters to target their victims.
