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Guidelines
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GOLDEN RULE:
If it looks to good to be true -- it probably
is!!!
Details of the scam will be provided but names of those
reporting it will not be
used for their privacy. If you wish to talk to the victim, we will
forward your contact information to them. Scammers names will only be included
when advised by the police and formal charges are in place. |
| Date: |
Advised by: |
Details: |
| August 2010 |
Resident FURNACE
SERVICING |
"Scenerio: A person calls and advises you that your furnace
and/or heat
pump is due for servicing. Before there is time to verify, he arrives,
does the work and is paid. It is then determined that this
person did NOT work for the installation company; did NOT do any service
work to the unit; went immediately to the bank and cashed the cheque leaving
no recourse for the resident to recoup their losses. |
| Sept 2010 |
Rec'd from Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce
PAVING |
One of our members has alerted us to a paving scam, in which
he was targeted, here in Nanoose Bay. These operators were very fast,
very slick, and at least one of them had a pronounced British or Australian
accent. Oceanside RCMP have received other complaints about them.
The homeowner was approached by a paving crew with a truck full of asphalt,
offering to pave his driveway for a cost of the material only, as their
asphalt plant was somehow out of commission. The work was very poorly
done, and instead of a $1,700 bill, he ws presented with a bill for over
$8,000. His refusal to pay this bill has resulted in physical threats,
and the RCMP have been contacted. |
| Dec 2010 |
Taken from Oceanside Star dd Dec
9, 2010 as reported by Mike Yip TELUS
INTERNET |
Bogus Telus offer annoys resident
Nanoose Bay bird photographer Mike Yip liked what he was hearing on the
phone. If he'd dump Shaw as his internet provider, Telus would give
him free internet for a year, and after that charge him just $15.48 a month. |
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He asked the fellow about the offer a number of
times, he said, "because it sounded too good to be true." |
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Sure enough, a couple of weeks later he
received a bill for $15.48 for November, even though he hadn't even
installed the Telus equipment yet. He called Telus, who said their
notes showed he'd signed up for $15.48 a month but the free year was news to
them. Annoyed, Yip demanded the charge be removed and the new
service disconnected. |
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Telus agreed and said they'd investigate the
bogus offer. It was likely just a contractor calling from who knows
where, Yip says, but he'd like to warn others who may end up in the same
situation he did. |
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Most scams need you to do something before they can work:
 | You may send money or donations based on a promise that turns out to
be false |
| You may give them your personal details thinking it is for your
protection |
| You may agree to a deal or service without checking it out properly |
| You may respond to an "official" looking email |
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Trust yourself:
| Use your common sense: any offer may be a scam. If it feels
wrong, it probably is. |
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Verify the legitimacy of the caller/person BEFORE they
do the work or you pay them.
| Call the organization or business the person claims to work for to
make sure they are legitimate. Look up their number yourself and
dial it. If it is a business call the Better Business Bureau.
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| Use Google to look up the name of the person or organization.
See what has been posted about this person or business online. If
someone else has been scammed, it will probably be there to read about.
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| Take any email signatures, brochures, business cards, and names they
drop with a grain of salt. Anyone can make these up at the local
print shop. |
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Get independent advice:
| When approached to invest in a get rich quick scheme, contact outside
people to verify its legitimacy. |
| ALWAYS get independent advice whether it is calling their Employers,
references, Better Business Bureau. |
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Don't fall for a sob story.
| Con artists will tell you that they are ministers, veterans, distant
relatives, bank officers, Boy Scouts, terminally ill -- anything to get
you to part with your money. |
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Ask for written documentation of that they will do or
what you are paying for:
| Keep all correspondence. Take careful note if anything falls
through. Things can go wrong with the best companies, but broken
promises are a red flag of possible worse things to come, including a
possible scam. Your paperwork can help you verify where things went
off track. |
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Do not agree to offers or deals straight away:
| Con artists rely on 'spur of the moment decisions', take your time
before committing yourself to the deal or service. If they are
legitimate, they will wait for you to decide. Tell the person that
you are not interested or that you want to get some independent advice
before making a decision. |
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Keep your friends and family close.
| Con men prey on everyone,
but the more isolated and vulnerable you appear, the more likely you are
to be targeted. Single women and the elderly are particularly
vulnerable to con artists. |
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Internet/Computer scams
| Try to avoid using public computers to do your internet banking. |
| Do not use software on your computer that uses auto-completes for
online forms. This can give internet scammers easy access to your
personal files. |
| Choose passwords that would be difficult for anyone else to guess.
TIP: use the first letters in a phrase you like, such as "One in the
hand is worth three in the bush" would be 1ithiw3itb |
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Telephone, Mail & E-Mail
| NEVER reply to a phone message to return a call to a phone number
beginning with 190. These are charged at a premium rate to the
caller. |
| Do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails - delete them unopened.
"Phishing" is using recognizable logos to make a message appear to be from
a legitimate source (bank, credit company), hoping to get you to hit
"return" thus sending them access to your computer. A bank or credit
card company would never do this, they have your phone number and
would call direct. |
| Do not click on any links or open any files attached - these more than
likely contain viruses. If you want to access the 'alleged' website,
type the address in yourself. NEVER follow a link |
| NEVER reply to a spam email (even to unsubscribe) as this opens up a
link to your computer to them. |
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Protect your Identity
| Only give out your personal details and information where it is
absolutely necessary AND where you have initiated the contact and trust
the other party. |
| Destroy all personal information, don't just throw it out. You
should cut up, burn or shred old bills, statements or cards when you are
finished with them |
| Treat your personal details as you would treat money: don't leave them
lying around for others to take |
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