A Burnaby couple in their 80s lost nearly $300,000 after being targeted by scammers pretending to be police, according to authorities. The fraud prompted a warning from local Mounties Wednesday, in which they described how the scam unfolded. “They had been contacted by someone claiming to be an RCMP officer. The fraudster told them their bank had been hacked and advised them to transfer their funds elsewhere,” the statement from the Burnaby RCMP said. “Over a period of several weeks, money was transferred through multiple deposits. The victims were instructed not to contact police themselves and were also told to purchase gift cards to transfer funds.” The couple made a police report on Jan. 28, after being advised to do so by their bank. The Burnaby RCMP is reminding people the identity of anyone claiming to be a cop can be verified by obtaining their name and badge number and confirming it by calling the department for which they claim to work. “It is really despicable when fraudsters use these manipulative tactics to prey upon people, particularly seniors,” Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj said, in the statement, adding that neither police officers nor representatives of financial institutions ever contact people and demand payment or transfers of funds. In an interview with CTV News, Kalanj said the criminal investigation into this case is ongoing and the bank is conducting an investigation of its own. “We’re hoping we can find the suspects,” he said. “Hopefully we can get somewhere with it. It’s really tough. More times than not, these scammers are not even in the on the continent or in the country,” he added. While police are doing everything they can to issue warnings about these types of scams, Kalanj said the public also has a role to play—particularly by talking to people in their lives who may be vulnerable. “They’re targeting seniors,” he said. “This is happening way too often. We’re out here talking about it all the time, but we need the message to get to the victims before they become victims.” Additional information about common scams and how to protect oneself is available online here.
