(New!) Life Insurance Policy Scam
The New Brunswick RCMP is warning the public about a new life insurance policy scam that is currently active in New Brunswick.
Police believe that the scammers obtain information from obituaries, and a few months later, contact a family member of the deceased to notify them of a life insurance policy payout. In many cases, the scammers identify themselves by a common first name and a well-known life insurance company, and inform the relative that they are the beneficiary.
The scammer will use the information provided in the obituary to obtain more personal information. Once personal information has been obtained, it can be used to commit other frauds. For example, a scammer can create fake identity documents and apply for credit using someone else’s name and personal banking information, and disappear with the money.
“These scammers take advantage of an emotional situation to get people to share their personal information,” said Cpl Matt LeBlanc-Smith from the New Brunswick RCMP. “Please be cautious about providing any financial or personal details over the phone before confirming that it is a legitimate request from an authorized entity. One way to do this is to hang up and call the company directly.
For further information on the types of frauds and scams currently circulating and on how to best protect yourself, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website. Please report any suspicious requests to your local detachment.
https://rcmp.ca/…/rcmp-alerting-public-new-life…
(New!) NS Power Scam
Due to the recent cyber incident, there has been an increase in fraudulent phone, text, and social media websites posing as us at Nova Scotia Power. We encourage you to remain vigilant and cautious about any unsolicited communications that appear to be from Nova Scotia Power asking you to provide your personal information.
Please avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments without confirming they are from a legitimate source. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of any communications from our team, please confirm the contact information for our Customer Care Centre here >
Spices Scam
Heads up! An online offer says, “My son works at McCormicks’ Spices and says, pending where you live, you can get a complete spice rack for $15”. Please beware – I fell for this, and it turned out to be an American company. My Canadian bank warned me of attempted fraudulent activity on my card, and I have now canceled my card. It looked and appeared so legit!
Canada Carbon Tax Rebate Scam
Hotel Scam
This is one of the best scams I’ve heard about.
You arrive at your hotel and check-in at the front desk. Typically, you give the front desk your credit card (for any charges to your room).
You go to your room and settle in. All is good.
The hotel receives a call, and the caller asks for (as an example) room 620 – which happens to be your room.
The phone rings in your room. You answer, and the person on the other end says, ‘ This is the front desk. When checking in, we encountered a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card number and verify the last 3 digits on the reverse side of your charge card.’
Not thinking anything wrong, since the call seems to come from the front desk, you oblige.
But it is a scam by someone calling from outside the hotel.
They have asked for a random room number and then asked you for your credit card and address information.
They sound so professional that you think you are talking to the front desk.
If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any problems. Then, go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem.
If there was none, inform the hotel manager that someone, acting like a front desk employee, tried to scam you of your credit card information.
This was sent by someone who has been duped……..and is still cleaning up the mess.
ANYONE traveling should be aware of this one!
