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Northwest resident ripped off by phone fraudster

BE WARY of companies looking for business over the phone.

BE WARY of companies looking for business over the phone.

That's the word from police after a local incident and another in the northwest resulted in at least one resident losing money to fraudsters in the last two months.

In February, a Terrace person was contacted by phone by a company offering a computer internet protection service that could be purchased, said Terrace RCMP.

The person provided a credit card number to make the purchase and an additional amount of money has since been charged to the credit card without authorization, said police.

"Obtain contact information from companies that call independently. Then research and educate yourself about the company. You can always call back later to make a purchase," said Terrace RCMP general duty officer Const. Tiffany Pretty.

The Prince Rupert RCMP are warning the public of an emerging telephone scam in which an unknown caller states they're a lawyer for the victim's loved one and they require payment to bail the family member out of jail.

On March 22, the Prince Rupert RCMP received a complaint in which a person using the name "Richard Wiseman" called and said he was the lawyer for the victim's great-granddaughter, who had been arrested in Montreal and needed bail money of more than $2,500 in cash.

A female came on the phone and introduced herself as the great-granddaughter, and provided fake details about the incident, said police.

Then the caller came back on the phone and said the payment could be made through any Western Union using the following details:

Receiver: William Shields

Transaction Number: MTCN 233-434-4350

Available in: Oka, Quebec

The victim in this instance proceeded to a local Western Union to forward the cash bail request but during the transaction the teller, who was familiar with telephone frauds, advised the victim to get in contact with the great-granddaughter to confirm the details.

Upon making contact, the victim's great-granddaughter said no such incident had happened and she did not require any money, said police.

The victim did not pay any money and was not defrauded, said Prince Rupert RCMP.

Check out the latest scams and frauds with phone busters at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.