Fraud scheme: bank advisor impersonating returns, police warns 

Djeneba Dosso

The Gatineau Police is urging residents to stay alert amid the resurgence of a scheme known as “false representative fraud.” Gatineau residents who have recently received suspicious calls from financial institution’s fraud departments alerting them of fraudulent activity on their debit or credit cards, may have been victims of an elaborate scheme. Local fraudsters, with intent to steal their victims’ credit card information and personal identification numbers (PINs), are known to cosplay as bank advisors, police officers or Canada Post postmen. These disguises allow them to obtain access to personal information inconspicuously. The Gatineau Police, who have received over a hundred complaints regarding this scheme since the beginning of March, released prevention tips on September 5.

“Even for the savviest among us, it can be really hard to know when we’re being conned,” Jay FitzGerald, a TD Bank Fraud Risk Manager told TD Stories. “First, scammers get your attention, mostly by email or phone, but sometimes in person. Then they work to win your trust, at which point they’ll go for the score.”

False representative fraud usually involves two or more perpetrators who all play different roles in obtaining both victim’s trust and personal information. The first perpetrator is tasked with initiating contact. Usually by phone but sometimes in email form, they will present themselves as a bank fraud officer and swiftly alert the victim that fraud has been committed on their card. Now panicked, the victim will likely ask for instructions on the best course of action, at which point the perpetrator will reassure the victim, advising them not to panic, as someone will come to pick up the card at their home. This is when the second perpetrator will make his entrance, the police press release details.

“This accomplice is presented as an employee of Canada Post, a colleague of the financial institution he says he represents, or a police officer. Some victims give the cards in person to the accomplice, but most of them, following the instructions of the interlocutor who keeps them online until his accomplice recovers said cards, leave them in a sealed envelope in their mailbox.”

The credit card scammers then use the cards to make purchases and withdrawals at varying locations to avoid suspicion. The victims, who may overlook mysterious charges thinking the issue is being resolved by the bank fraud officer they spoke to, usually takes some time to realize they have really been scammed.

The fraudsters behind these schemes target clients from various financial institutions. They know how to be convincing and to ensure “they have enough information about their victims to put them in confidence and convince them to hand over all their cards.”

As the number of complaints continues to spike, the Gatineau Police is urging residents to stay vigilant when accepting calls. “Fraudsters have more than one trick up their sleeve,” they warn. “Current technology allows fraudsters to bring up any number on your display, so even if the number displayed corresponds to that of your banking institution, beware.”

As a prevention tip, they advise to hang up and dial the number indicated on the back of the card when receiving an unexpected call from someone who claims to work for a financial institution.

“Fraudsters are skilled,” they add. “They will try to create a sense of urgency in you and will urge you to reveal confidential information to them.”

The best call is always to avoid giving up personal identification numbers (PINs) or card numbers over the phone, especially to an interlocutor whose identity you have not been able to confirm.

As the number of fake representative fraud schemes continues to climb in the region, a little vigilance and attention to detail is all it could take to avoid being scammed out of hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. A good rule of thumb is to avoid picking up unsolicited calls. “If in doubt, hang up and contact your police department,” concluded the Gatineau Police.