Police warn of bank investigator scam
OPP are warning of ongoing fraud schemes where victims are contacted by impostors posing as bank investigators, law enforcement, or online merchants.
Police say the fraudsters claim there are suspicious charges on the victim's bank card, credit card, or online bank accounts and request their banking information to "cancel the transaction”.
Victims may also be asked to send funds overseas under the guise of assisting in an "investigation."
These scams resulted in reported losses of $10.2 million in 2023, with Ontario victims losing over $5.4 million.
Police say you can protect yourself against such scams by knowing that financial institutions or online merchants never request transfers to external accounts.
If you are contacted by a supposed financial institution, offer to call them back and verify the number independently.
Be cautious of call-spoofing technology that may display misleading phone numbers and never provide remote access to your devices.
