Scammer posing as RCMP officer steals $19K from Island resident

A Sidney resident is out nearly $19,000 after falling victim to a phone scammer posing as a police officer.

Sidney/North Saanich RCMP say a local man reported the fraud on Sept. 2 after receiving a call from someone claiming to be an RCMP officer.

The caller told the victim his personal information had been leaked. Using this story, the scammer convinced the man to hand over sensitive details related to his cryptocurrency account.

The victim later checked his account and discovered that almost $19,000 had been withdrawn. He realized he had been defrauded when he tried and failed to contact the caller again.

Mounties are reminding residents that officers will never ask for banking information.

“…police will never request banking passwords, cryptocurrency account credentials, or other sensitive financial information over the phone. Should you receive such a call, hang up and call your local police,” noted the press release.