By: Danielle Dufour
March is fraud awareness month. Brenda Dreaver, an Indigenous financial literacy consultant with Bridging Financial Literacy, outlines some recent scams that are taking place in communities.
“There are five main ones that come to mind,” said Dreaver.
Dreaver identifies these scams and some practical tips to avoid being victims of fraud.
- The family member in trouble scam is where a scammer will either create a fake account or hack your social media account and then ask your contacts for money.
Tip – “I would advise the person that owns the Facebook or the social media account to contact their contacts and let them know that this is happening and also to post on their site that this is actually happening, and report to social media,” said Dreaver.
- The money meal scam or the E-transfer fraud is when someone asks another person to send money on their behalf, promising a fee for helping once the money is sent, the scammer disappears with the full amount, leaving the person held responsible.
Tip – “At any point in time when somebody comes and asks you to do this, just say no,” said Dreaver.
- The gift card scam is where a scammer tricks victims by posing as the company lead or authority (a director or supervisor) using a fake email and asks an employee to purchase and send gift cards or share the card number and PIN. Once the code is shared, the money on the gift card is instantly gone.
Tip – “If this happens, contact your company lead, like your director or supervisor to confirm that this is what they’re asking for,” said Dreaver.
- The rental scam or fake listings scam is where scammers post ads for properties (a fake house or apartment) online using copied photos from legitimate listings they don’t own or that do not exist. The scammers will demand you to send them a deposit, for example a first month’s rent. Once the scammer receives the money, they will disappear.
Tip – “Go directly to the place, look at it and ensure that it’s actually a legit place before you start putting money down,” said Dreaver.
To avoid being victimized by rental scams you should verify the property and the landlord’s identity before any money or personal information is exchanged.
- The personal relationship scam, also known as Catfishing, is where a scammer convinces someone to enter into a relationship online. Once trust is established, the scammer will request money using emotional manipulation.
Tip: “Once a person starts asking you for money, just block them, walk away, because once that begins, it’s not going to end,” said Dreaver.
“When in doubt, just say no,” said Dreaver. “I don’t trust this, I want to confirm, that would be your intuition … listen to your gut instinct.”
If you have been a victim of fraud, it is important to contact your local authorities to report it.
To listen to the full interview visit our on-demand library below:
https://omny.fm/shows/mbc-radio-on-demand/fraud-awareness-month-with-brenda-dreaver