Enderby senior bilked out of $3,000 in phone scam

Photo: RCMP

Police are warning the public of a phone scam preying on seniors after an elderly Enderby resident was cheated out of more than $3,000.

North Okanagan RCMP were alerted to the incident by an Enderby resident who told police on Thursday they had received a phone call earlier in the day from a person purporting to be a bank manager.

The fraudster told the victim their account had been compromised and convinced the victim to log in to restore security settings. The thief then coaxed the victim into purchasing more than $3,000 in Google Play cards.

When the call ended, the victim realized they had been scammed and contacted her bank and police.

"Sadly, scammers and fraudsters are continuing to target seniors in our community," RCMP spokesperson Const. Chris Terleski said in a press release. "We are encouraging anyone with elderly family members to discuss how to recognize a scam and what they can do to keep themselves safe and help prevent them from falling victim to these types of fraud."

Tips to protect yourself:

• If you didn’t make the call, you don’t know who you are talking to
• No matter who you think is calling, never give out personal information over the phone
• Never pay a debt by crypto-currencies such as bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
• If someone contacts you allegedly from a company, hang up and contact the company yourself to verify the information