Nanaimo RCMP is reminding people to be vigilant after two residents lost a combined $20,000 in scams.
Both incidents occurred over a 24-hour period on Wednesday and involved bitcoin payments.
In the first scam, a Nanaimo man told police he received a phone call from a man with a strong south Asian accent who identified himself as a police officer.
The victim was told his identity had been compromised and in order to protect his money, he needed to send a percentage of his assets to the suspect for safekeeping. Instructions were provided and the victim was directed to a bitcoin machine in Woodgrove Centre, where $13,000 was deposited.
“Only after sending the money did the victim realize that he may have been scammed,” said police.
A few hours later, a Nanaimo resident reported receiving an email claiming to be from US Digital Cellular saying he was eligible to receive a refund for $849.
The victim called the number and was told in order to receive the refund, he first had to complete a questionnaire. He was then told there was an error and the company had incorrectly sent him $4,800.
The victim was asked to send the extra money back via bitcoin. After sending the money, the victim realized he had been scammed.
“He also admitted to feeling ashamed, but wanted to share his experience with others so they may not make the same mistakes he did,” said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“Rule No. 1 is never open up, respond to or open links from people or companies you don’t know. Rule No. 2 is if you are directed to pay by bitcoin, consider it a scam.”
To learn more about bitcoin scams and other fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at .
