Albertans are being warned about a fraud scheme in which victims are persuaded to buy gold bars and surrender them to people claiming the precious metals will keep their money safe.
The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker says the fraud can begin with a pop-up alert falsely claiming a person’s financial accounts have been compromised.
The message directs the recipient to a phone number. The person who answers may pose as a financial or security official and tell the victim to move money from their accounts into gold. The victim is then instructed to give the gold to someone for supposed safekeeping.
In at least one report to the BBB, the victim’s loss exceeded $700,000, according to the organization.
Fraudsters may tell victims not to discuss the transaction with anyone. That can prevent people from getting a second opinion from relatives, friends or financial advisers before handing over their money or valuables.
The BBB advises consumers to avoid calling numbers contained in unsolicited pop-ups, emails or text messages. People should not give strangers remote access to their computers or send substantial sums of money because of an unexpected phone call.
Anyone who receives a warning about a supposed problem with a bank account should end the conversation and contact the financial institution using a phone number obtained independently from a trusted source.
The BBB advises people not to interact with suspicious messages. They can shut down their computer or end the call and speak with someone they trust before taking any further action.
People who believe they have encountered a scam should report it to their local police service through its non-emergency channel.
