A Shuswap mother is out close to $3,000 after being the target of fraudsters.
At 9 a.m. on June 17, Salmon Arm RCMP received a report from a woman who said she'd been scammed out of $2,850. She said she'd received a text message from someone posing as her daughter.
"The 'daughter' told the complainant her phone number had changed and she needed assistance paying a bill," said Const. Andrew Hodges in a media release. "At one point the complainant even spoke to a female over the phone, and was convinced it was her daughter."
Hodges said the money was e-transferred as requested. Afterwards, the woman became suspicious and the next day confirmed with her actual daughter that she'd been scammed. The woman's bank was then notified.
Hodges warned any unsolicited e-mails, text messages, or phone calls from anyone requesting money, or the purchase of gift cards, should be treated as highly suspicious.
"Police advise using extreme caution before sending e-transfers to anyone, unless it is money you are willing to lose," said Hodges. "Hanging up and calling the person using the phone number you have, using code words, or asking about unique experiences or memories only that family member would know about, are simple ways to attempt to confirm identity."
