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Police warning of phone scam targeting Winnipeg

Winnipeg Police are warning Winnipeg residents about a new phone scam targeting the city.
Police say that scammers call pretending to be from a retail business and telling victims that their credit card has been fraudulently used. They then pass the phone to an “investigator” who tries to convince the victim to transfer money to protect it during the investigation.
Police say that in one recent case the scammers called an elderly woman pretending to be from a jeweller outside of Manitoba to let her know her credit card was used to buy an expensive item. She was then “transferred” to a person who claimed they were an employee from the bank telling her an investigator would be calling. The woman soon received that call and the “investigator” told her to dial 911 (while the line was still open) to confirm that the investigation was real. The scammer then pretended to be a police officer and tried to convince the woman to transfer a large sum of money.
The woman sensed something was not right about the call and contacted Winnipeg Police who told her it was a total scam.
Police say that to avoid being a victim to this type of scam people should always be cautious when dealing with unexpected callers. If someone calls claiming to be from a bank or other agency take reasonable steps to confirm the identity of the person calling. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
  • Never provide your banking information or credit card details to someone who calls you out of the blue.
  • Banks and Credit Unions will NEVER ask you to transfer money to external accounts for security purposes.
  • Numbers on call displays can be easily spoofed.
If you believe you are a victim of a scam call police
© 2018 News 4
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