Fort St John’s police is warning residents of a new scam targeting employees at various businesses, as RCMP receive repeated reports within the past few months.
Residents are being asked to stay on their toes while working, especially if approached about cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin.
“Legitimate businesses are not going to ask you to pay for items or services with cryptocurrencies,” said Cst. Christiaan Dreyer, the local detachment’s media relations officer.
The RCMP said on July 31, one employee who fell victim to the scam lost $900 after fraudsters posed as their boss. Scammers told the employee to deposit that amount into one of the two Bitcoin ATMs in the city, they told the employee the money would cover the cost of a delivery.
Then, the fraudsters converted the money and transferred it to their Crypto Wallets, which the Mounties said is difficult to track, and even harder to recover money from.
By the time the employee realized they were scammed, the funds were virtually unrecoverable. Police did not name the victim or the business and advised people to stay vigilant.
Employees were reminded no legitimate business, bank, or government branch will ask for money via cryptocurrency machine.
Banks and other businesses post their numbers online, and the RCMP said if a phone call seems suspicious, employees should hang up and call back a trusted, confirmed phone number. Similarly, managers should be contacted at their trusted phone number, which should be saved in the employee’s contacts or available on-site.
If something feels off, or the caller seems pushy and is creating a sense of urgency, the Mounties said employees should trust their gut, hang up, and call their confirmed contact.
