BC business owner tells RCMP that fraudsters scammed their client out of $100K

An RCMP detachment in the Shuswap says a person was scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars after receiving a fraudulent email.

According to a news release, the RCMP were contacted by a local business owner who reported that a client transferred $100,000 to a fraudulent bank account.

The release says the payments were intended to be going to the business owner’s bank account.

“The client provided a statement to police and explained he had been in communication through email with the owner for two years,” says the release.

“The client received an email from info@*thebusinessname* and was informed they were closing their bank account and was provided new bank account information.”

Two e-transfers of $50,000 were made to the new bank account number provided.

A third payment attempt was made, but the client finally reached out to the business owner.

The business owner confirmed the emails were not sent by anyone from the business and the bank has since frozen the accounts the payment was made to, say the Salmon Arm RCMP.

However, the file remains under investigation.

Mounties say this type of scam is becoming more common and remind people that email or text communication is convenient, the RCMP recommend confirming payment information by speaking directly to the person or business first.

The RCMP directs people to the BC RCMP Frauds and Scams, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or the Competition Bureau to brush up on the warning signs of common types of scams and how to report them.