Halifax police warn of scammer who comes to your door and takes your credit cards
Scammer pretends to be bank employee, claims credit cards were compromised, takes cards and goes shopping
Halifax Regional Police have released photos of a suspect in a credit card scam that involves a fake bank employee showing up at homes, taking credit cards and then using the cards to go shopping.
Police say this happened to someone in the Halifax area on May 24.
The victim received a call from someone pretending to be a bank employee who told them their credit card had been cloned.
The scammer pressured the cardholder to take action quickly, or risk missing an opportunity to be reimbursed.
That's when the call was transferred to someone pretending to be a bank employee supervisor. That person told the victim to surrender their cards to the "employee," who showed up at the victim's home and took the card.
Police say the suspect then used the cards at various locations.
The suspect appears to be a white man between 20 and 30 years old with a thin build, police said. They said he's been spotted riding around in a black Toyota RAV4.
"Protect yourself. If you receive a call like this, do not provide or confirm any personal or financial information and hang up the phone," Halifax Regional Police said in a news release.
"Police remind people to be suspicious of any emails or calls asking for money and to make sure the person is legitimate before providing any money or information."
Police say scammers can fake phone numbers so a call appears to be coming from a trusted source. They said personal information should never be given to anyone, whether it be by email, phone or in person unless you know for sure who you're dealing with.
In Canada, police said law enforcement and court officials do not go to homes to collect money in relation to bail.
Police are encouraging victims of fraud to report the incidents. They can be reached directly at 902-490-5020 if money was lost or if identity was compromised as the result of a scam.
Scams can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in cases where people haven't been a victim. They can be reached at 1-888-495-8501.
For more information and scam prevention tips, visit:
