Scams are more sophisticated: RCMP

As both the public and the police have become wiser to many kinds of frauds and scams, con artists have upped the ante. In recent days, the RCMP has issued warnings about current scams that have found their way into the wallets and bank accounts of Saskatchewan residents - and unfortunately, sophisticated scams like these are becoming more common.

"They are more sophisticated," said Const. Joska Gallant with RCMP F Division's commercial crime section of the types of schemes they're investigating these days. "I mean, they use various means to add legitimacy to their scams so they may be creating more legitimate looking websites, documentation, and they're just always changing the scam because they know people are catching onto them, so then they have to tweak it a little bit or make it a little more sophisticated in order to get the victims to bite - and a lot of time and effort is put into it."

Take for instance the "romance" scam where a fraudster reels in a potential victim for months or even longer in order to part that person from his or her money. Police are also still dealing with "computer virus" scams - where con artists ask for fees to fix a supposed virus - and Gallant said they've also seen "rental" scams that play on low vacancy rates by requesting upfront fees to hold a supposed property for a wouldbe renter.

More recently, the RCMP has warned about two types of cons - one called the "white money" scam and the other a time share resale scam.

In the first, people selling high-priced items are targeted through cash-only business deals. The victim, upon meeting with the fraudster, is shown blank paper the size of a bank note and told it's cash that's been altered to conceal it or prevent theft. The fraudster tells the would-be victim the "white money" needs to undergo a process to make it return to currency.

Police say the paper may show indicators of real currency when passed under an ultraviolent light and that suspects often demonstrate a process where two pieces of "white money" are placed on either side of a legitimate bank note. The victim is distracted and a sleight-of-hand exchange replaces the paper with real money to make the victim believe the process is legitimate. The goal of this scam is to have the victim fork over legitimate money in exchange for the worthless paper in future business deals.

The scam has been reported recently in southern Saskatchewan but police believe the group behind it is transient.

The time share resale scam targets people who have advertised their time shares for sale on the Internet with the scammer offering a quick sale with a high profit. Fees, such as maintenance fees, escrow fees or taxes, are requested up front prior to the final sale and the fraudster provides detailed official-looking documents that may require a signature or witness - so providing an air or authenticity. The scam has so far wrested more than $30,000 from Saskatchewan residents - $20,000 from one victim alone.

While there are legitimate companies that offer this type of service, not all are and the RCMP advises time share owners to do their homework before providing funds, since people can easily misrepresent themselves online as a legitimate company.

In general, Gallant noted that many people are "more cautious these days" and are more aware because of information police have released through the media. Because of that, con artists have had to look for new and more creative ways to achieve their ends.

"As fast as we catch onto them, they're coming up with new scams," she said.
While the perpetrators of these types of offences can be hard to catch - in part because many don't originate within the province - Gallant said police and other agencies have become better at working together to combat these crimes. For the general public, prevention is key and Gallant said it pays to research prior to handing over cash. The Better Business Bureau or Internet searches can be good resources as are the websites of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the RCMP and Saskatchewan's Consumer Protection Branch.

Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of a fraud should contact their local RCMP detachment or police service.