A phone call from someone claiming to be an RCMP officer ended with a Sidney B.C., resident losing nearly $19,000 in a cryptocurrency scam, according to police. The caller told the man his personal information had been compromised and convinced him to provide sensitive information connected to his cryptocurrency account. Not long afterward, nearly $19,000 had been withdrawn. When the man tried to contact the caller again and could not reach him, he realized he had been scammed. The incident, reported to Sidney and North Saanich RCMP on Sept. 2, is now prompting a warning about a tactic that relies on one of the most powerful tools in a scammer’s playbook: authority. A caller claiming to be police can make an unexpected request sound urgent and legitimate. But RCMP say there is a simple line residents should remember. Police will never ask for banking passwords, cryptocurrency account credentials or other sensitive financial information over the phone. Anyone who receives an unexpected call from someone claiming to be an RCMP officer should end the conversation rather than providing personal or financial information. If there is any doubt about the legitimacy of a call, residents can contact their local police department using a trusted, independently verified phone number. For anyone who has already shared banking or cryptocurrency information with a suspected fraudster, taking immediate steps to protect affected accounts is important. The Sidney case is also a reminder that cryptocurrency scams can carry significant financial consequences. Once funds have been taken, recovering them can be difficult, particularly when scammers move money through different accounts or platforms. The RCMP is urging residents to take a moment before responding to unexpected requests involving their money or account information. When the person on the other end of the line claims to be police, the safest response is still to hang up and verify the call independently.
