Fraudulent phone calls proved costly for at least two Ucluelet locals last week.
The Ucluelet RCMP received three reports of scam attempts between Feb. 4-7, two of which conned victims out of roughly $1,000 each, according to Const. Jarett Duncan of the Ucluelet RCMP.
“I don’t think the Ucluelet community is being targeted specifically, but there has been a rash of them happening lately,” Duncan said. “I don’t know if [scammers] are onto the West Coast’s phone numbers or what, but there’s a decent amount happening and it’s in our best interest to remind the public to never send anyone that you don’t know money.”
Duncan said there is a variety of scams being reported, including callers falsely claiming a victim’s computer has been compromised and offering fake and expensive anti-virus software.
“They’re basically the same scams that have been happening for a while, but they’re changing them slightly just to keep them fresh,” he said. “They’ve got lots of time to think of different ways to con people, unfortunately…This is their 24/7 gig and lots of people make lots of money off these things.”
He said scammers send out “thousands of emails and phone calls” around the world every day and anyone who receives one, whether they fall victim to it or not, should immediately report it to their local police—250-726-7773 in Ucluelet and 250-725-3242 in Tofino.
He added that information about how to protect yourself from scammers, as well as what to do if you have been scammed, can be found at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website.
Residents are encouraged to talk to their family members, particularly seniors, about being wary of potential scam attempts.