VANCOUVER Police tweeted on Thursay that fraud investigators are seeing a trend involving text messages from ‘family members’ saying they need money to pay a bill. These messages are also being sent on WhatsApp.
Recipients are told not to contact them at their regular number, as their phone was dropped in the toilet and isn’t working.
Before you good-heartedly send any money to anyone in need, confirm the request is legitimate, advise police. Try using email or another means to contact the ‘family member,’ or check with other people who know them. Test the person texting by asking specific questions they should know the answers to.
If you receive one of these texts, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: bit.ly/3YjyksE.
If you lose money in a fraud, report it to your local police. In Vancouver, call 604-717-3321 or report online: bit.ly/3DFz3Ld.
