ABBOTSFORD Police announced on Wednesday they have added extra warnings on local bitcoin machines as a reminder that fraudsters are still at it.

The Abbotsford Police urge people to remain vigilant and not to respond to fraudsters calling and threatening arrest. Such callers are not from a police agency, the Canada Revenue Agency, Social Insurance office or immigration. These agencies will never call you to threaten you with arrest, they note.

Government agencies will never ask payment in the form of bitcoin, interact e-transfer or gift cards.

Bitcoin is a perfect tool for fraudsters as Bitcoin transactions are unregulated, untraceable and accessible worldwide, making it difficult to investigate the frauds, say police.

Follow the steps in this link if you have been defrauded: https://bit.ly/2Ggxiqb.

How to protect yourself and others:

* Beware of “recovery scams”. Victims of fraud are often targeted a second or third time with the promise of recovering money previously lost. Always do your due diligence and never send money to recover money.

* Stay current. Check out the Canadian Anti-Fraud center for new scams.

* Be pro-active. Educate family, friends, neighbours and co-workers on mass marketing frauds. You may prevent someone else from becoming a victim.

How do I report fraud, scams and spam?

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises not to open unsolicited emails when the sender is unknown. Spam and related violations can be reported to enforcement agencies through the Spam Reporting Centre at https://bit.ly/2ue9VuB .