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Crime Alert The Crime Alert program is done in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department and the South Vancouver and Collingwood Community Policing Centres. We thank Cst. Mark Jarvie and Cst. Jose Abundo for updates on the happenings in our area.
The crime alert program is done in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department and the Collingwood Policing Centre. We circulate these alerts to our membership as quikly as possible.
To be included on the mas email list for distribution of such alerts, please email the MPBIA office at mpbia@telus.net. This will allow you to receive crime updates as they are received by our office. | | For more information please contact : uptownmp | | Internet Scams February 2010 |
Too good to be true? Don't get taken in...
Constable Anne Longley, Business Liaison
Vancouver Police Department
"I am Mr. Patrick K. W. Chan Executive Director & Chief financial Officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, Hong Kong. I have a lucrative business proposal of mutual interest to share with you; it involves the transfer of a large sum of money. I got your reference in my search for someone who suits my proposed business relationship. If you are interested in working with me contact me through my private email for further details."
I'm sure most of you have received emails like the one above and realized that it is a scam, but there are many people who are taken in by Internet and email scams. There are hundreds of variations on these scams, and not all of them are as obvious as the one above. The police continue to receive reports of people who have been duped into deals and have become the victim of a scam.
The best thing is to be informed and learn to recognize what might be a scam. As with any business deal, it is the responsibility of the purchaser or seller to use common sense and do their research prior to completing a transaction.
Many scams involve buying, selling or renting a product and will include one or more of the following:
An inquiry from someone saying they are from overseas or have gone out of the country and have a convincing story to go along with their inquiry
Someone wanting to use a money wiring service, shipping service or some sort of "guarantee" to buy the product
A refusal to meet in person, or saying they don't need to see what you're selling before they offer you money
Overpayment for your service or product and then advising you to take what you require and send them the residual
A person not authorized to sell or rent the property they're advertising
Remember to remain cautious as you don't know who you are dealing with over the Internet. Be informed, and if you suspect the ad or email is a scam, report it to the site that it's posted on. Most of all, trust your gut feelings, and if the person is deceptive or can't answer your questions, discontinue contact with them.
Most Internet classified sites post warnings and advice on how to avoid scams, or you can go to the following sites for more information:
Better Business Bureau of BC - http://mbc.bbb.org/
PhoneBusters - www.phonebusters.com
| | Scam Alert- March 2009 | | There has been a number of complaints from local restaurants about a man posing as a recent customer claiming to have contracted food poisoning. He tries to obtain financial compensation from the business. All businesses should be aware of this and report to the police should you have this person visit your premises. |
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