Hanna RCMP is warning residents of a couple of different scams designed to separate people from their money.
One scam, Sergeant Trent Sperlie says is going around, is where the suspect contacts the potential victim through email about a refund.
“In the most recent case, the targeted victim was told they had an Amazon refund in the amount of $718,” he said.
The email provides a phone number the victim is to call. When calling the number the suspect confirms there is a refund owing and then requests account information to make the deposit. The suspect then deposits into the victim’s account greater than the quoted refund and requests they send the extra back as they “accidentally” deposited too much. In this case, they deposited $4,718.and then requested $4,000 be sent back.
In this case, the scam was caught before money was lost. However, if it had not been caught, the victim would have been out $4,000.
He says if someone contacts you asking for any financial information, never give it until you have had time to verify who the person is and the transaction is legitimate. Talk to family, the bank, or the local detachment. If anyone ever pressures you to make a transaction quickly before verifying, it is a scam.
He is warning residents of yet another common scam, that often happens in the summer months.
Sperlie sent out a notice to remind residents to be vigilant of the tied and true paving scam.
He says the biggest clue is the person offering paving tells the consumer, “we are doing work in the area and have leftover product.”
He says this is often a scam, and if the service is accepted, the final product is substandard and will not last.
The Government of Alberta has issued a consumer protection alert, and often by the time the person who has had the work done realizes what is happening, the company has moved on from the area and cannot be reached.
If you suspect a paving contractor is contravening Alberta’s consumer protection laws or is avoiding work commitments, report it at 1-877-427-4088 (toll-free).
