THE Chinese community appears to be the target of a new fraud in the Metro Vancouver area, warns the British Columbia RCMP.
Fraudsters are pretending to represent DHL, an international shipping and logistics provider popular in China, claiming a package has been intercepted by Chinese authorities that contains personal documents, such as passports or credit cards. Victims of the fraud are typically told their personal information has been compromised. This information is conveyed to them in Mandarin via an automated call, which prompts them to speak with a person who claims to be a DHL employee, or a law enforcement representative.
The apparent “employee” sometimes tells the victim that their personal information has been compromised, and then asks for further personal information as part of the scam. In other versions of the scam, the victim is told by the alleged law enforcement officer, that their credit card has been intercepted, and used as part of criminal offences overseas. Victims are asked to provide money and other personal information to clear themselves of the investigation.
“If you receive one of these automated calls, our best advice is to simply hang up if you feel it is suspicious,” says Staff-Sgt. Annie Linteau, spokesperson for the BC RCMP. If you do end up following prompts to talk to a live person – do not provide any personal information.”
“DHL takes protecting our customers and their sensitive information seriously. We encourage Canadian citizens to be aware of potential fraudulent behavior by malicious parties using the DHL brand and contacting our customer service team immediately,” says Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Canada.
If you have been victimized by such a scam, the RCMP recommend that you contact your local police agency along with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. For more information on how to spot frauds, go to BC RCMP and the Better Business Bureau websites.