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Last Updated: May 8th, 2008 - 20:33:00
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PT Barnum said “there’s a sucker born every minute” and it’s that kind of thinking that has fraudsters rubbing their greedy little hands together.
From Nigerian letters and e-mails with a multitude of hooks and angles to phishing schemes, phoney lotteries and cheque-cashing scams, fraud is a multi-billion dollar industry that impacts people around the globe.
“These kinds of fraud crimes prey on people’s good will,” said Sgt. Jeff Mantyak with the Lethbridge regional police economic crimes unit. “If something sounds too good to be true, 99.999 times it is.”
During a presentation Friday, Mantyak and Const. Travis Evenson highlighted a number of mass-marketing scams for members of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, wrapping up a month-long series of fraud prevention seminars.
Anyone with e-mail access has probably been targeted at least once — probably many times — by scam artists looking to make a quick buck.
Nigerian-type schemes include notification of a major lottery win, an inheritance from a long lost relative or help to get money from one account to another. All typically involve some kind of “administration fee” or require personal information to claim the prize.
“At the end of the day, they’re either fishing for information or trying to get money,” said Mantyak.
Another common scheme involves people selling an item in the classified section or listing a rental property. The crook will make contact, pretend to be interested, send a cheque or money order for way more than necessary, ask the seller to deposit the amount owed, take a bit for their trouble and send the rest back.
By the time the draft is returned as counterfeit, the seller is out the money and in some cases their property.
Recently “mystery shopper/consumer market research” scams have surfaced locally where the victim is asked to take part in some kind of survey or research project, for which they will be compensated.
Evenson handed out a sample letter, where a bank draft for $2,500 was enclosed, and asked the victim to deposit the draft, keep $200 for their participation, then pose as a customer and wire the money using Western Union. The scam claims to be conducting market research.
In the end, the draft is a fake and the victim is out the cash they have sent.
To reduce the risk of being victimized by fraud artists, a healthy dose of skepticism is recommended.
Spelling and grammatical errors and promises that are too good to be true in unsolicited e-mails should raise red flags.
Anyone considering an investment should not rush the process. Pressure and “act now” tactics are common among fraudsters.
Police advise getting a second opinion and doing research before jumping in.
Residents can also access anti-fraud resources at www.phonebusters.com and any suspicious activity should be reported.
© Copyright by Lethbridge Herald.com
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