The Nanaimo RCMP is advising the public of COVID-19 scams circulating on social media platforms, by email and through text messages. This advisory stems from an alert by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which reports a dramatic increase in reports of individuals duped into providing personal or banking information to fraudsters.
Some of most recent COVID-19 scams:
- Companies offering fake COVID-19 tests and selling unproven drugs to treat symptoms.
- Scammers impersonating the Public Health Agency of Canada to glean personal information and credit card numbers.
- Cleaning companies claiming their duct cleaning can protect people from COVID-19.
The Nanaimo RCMP have been received a number of calls daily from individuals, contacted by fraudsters who offer any one of the above noted scams. Very few of the callers to our detachment indicated that they were duped into providing compromising information, and were advised to call or report the interaction to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre
, said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
To learn more about COVID-19 scams and others, visit the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm