Scams

Penticton RCMP are warning seniors of ongoing telephone scams posing as loved ones. (Image by Pexels from Pixabay)

Police warning Penticton seniors to be careful after uptick in phone scams

Scammers often pose as loved ones in desperate situations and ask for money

 

Plumbing pipes are seen at Lennar at Heritage at Stonebridge, the newest 55+ active adult housing community construction site, on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, in Las Vegas. High material costs still prevail in home renovation and building. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Riskiest scams in Canada come from home renovations, cryptocurrency: BBB

2022 report reveals increases in scam susceptibility, average amount of money lost

 

Sugar-dating scams are becoming quite common, according to the Better Business Bureau. (Lori Lo - Pixabay/Special to The News

Being a sugar baby isn’t so sweet, warns Better Business Bureau

B.C. student narrowly avoids sugar-dating scam

 

Police warn of romance scams used by fraudsters in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day that can leave victims out of money and with a broken heart. (Stock photo)

B.C. police warn ‘romance scams’ can trick victims into relationships and out of money

Fraudsters may send seemingly innocent and random messages as first step, say RCMP

Police warn of romance scams used by fraudsters in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day that can leave victims out of money and with a broken heart. (Stock photo)
The voice you hear on the other end of your phone call may not be who you think it is, the person you’re texting with may really be a bot and the face in a photo or video on your favourite dating app may not even exist. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence create the potential to fuel romance scams, said Jeff Clune, an associate professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia. A young person uses a smart phone in Chicago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP
The voice you hear on the other end of your phone call may not be who you think it is, the person you’re texting with may really be a bot and the face in a photo or video on your favourite dating app may not even exist. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence create the potential to fuel romance scams, said Jeff Clune, an associate professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia. A young person uses a smart phone in Chicago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP
A Toronto family’s home was sold without their knowledge while they were out of the city. Now the Better Business Bureau is offering tips to residents of B.C. (Graeme Roy/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

How to avoid scammers from selling your home from underneath you

After two home title fraud scams in Toronto, the Better Business Bureau offers tips to avoid this scam

A Toronto family’s home was sold without their knowledge while they were out of the city. Now the Better Business Bureau is offering tips to residents of B.C. (Graeme Roy/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
RCMP

Not so smart: Kelowna RCMP seeing false 911 calls from watches

Uptick in mistake calls during ski season

RCMP
The Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker receives daily reports of people purchasing items that they never receive. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

B.C. shoppers warned about devious holiday scams

The BBB says shoppers should avoid buying items from retailers they don’t know

The Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker receives daily reports of people purchasing items that they never receive. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Burnaby RCMP are warning of virtual kidnapping scam after an international student was tricked in August 2022. (Black Press Media file photo)

B.C. international student tricked into creating hostage videos, paying scammers

Fraudsters posed as Chinese police officers, told student he was a suspect

Burnaby RCMP are warning of virtual kidnapping scam after an international student was tricked in August 2022. (Black Press Media file photo)
A senior in New Westminster was scammed out of a large amount of cash after she thought she was paying for her grandson’s bail. (Black Press Media file photo)

Fraudsters pose as grandson, cop to trick B.C. senior into handing over bail cash

Grandson impersonator claimed he’d been arrested with large amounts of cannabis

A senior in New Westminster was scammed out of a large amount of cash after she thought she was paying for her grandson’s bail. (Black Press Media file photo)
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of a scam involving barcodes being swapped on gift cards. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Gift card scam catching B.C. holiday shoppers off guard

Better Business Bureau issues warning after barcodes swapped on cards

The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of a scam involving barcodes being swapped on gift cards. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Two lost dog scams posted to Facebook Nov. 30 2022. (Facebook photos)

Lost dog scam making the rounds on Okanagan-Shuswap social media groups

BC SPCA reminds people to go through official channels to report, adopt lost dogs

Two lost dog scams posted to Facebook Nov. 30 2022. (Facebook photos)
Scammers tried to trick a North Vancouver man into believing they had kidnapped his wife, police say. (Credit: Pixabay/Geralt)

Scammers pretend to kidnap North Vancouver man’s wife, demand ransom

Call appeared to come from wife’s phone; woman could be heard in background

Scammers tried to trick a North Vancouver man into believing they had kidnapped his wife, police say. (Credit: Pixabay/Geralt)
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of the risk of online shopping scams as the busy holiday shopping season gets underway. (Courtesy of Better Business Bureau)

BBB warning of online shopping scams this holiday season

Online shopping scams reached record highs last year, and are on track to match or surpass this year

The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of the risk of online shopping scams as the busy holiday shopping season gets underway. (Courtesy of Better Business Bureau)
Kelowna RCMP are warning the public about grandparent scams. (File photo)

Kelowna RCMP warn public about ‘grandparent scams’

Scammers might already know the grandchild’s name and what they call their grandparent

Kelowna RCMP are warning the public about grandparent scams. (File photo)
A fake piano donation almost scammed the Langley Hospice Society, said executive director Shannon Todd Booth. (Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance Times)

Grand piano scam targets Langley Hospice Society

Staff narrowly avoided the scam, which has hit other locations

A fake piano donation almost scammed the Langley Hospice Society, said executive director Shannon Todd Booth. (Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance Times)
Big White Fire Department (bigwhitefire.com)

You can’t bunk here: Big White Fire Department clarifies rental scam

The department says someone is using their address for a property rental ad

  • Nov 3, 2022
Big White Fire Department (bigwhitefire.com)
Plenty of online offers have the promises of making a lot of money for little effort by working from home. (John Arendt - Summerland Review)

COLUMN: The unrealistic promise of big money

Pay stated in online ads is far greater than for conventional jobs

Plenty of online offers have the promises of making a lot of money for little effort by working from home. (John Arendt - Summerland Review)
(Stock photo)

Lake Country nurse suspended for three years after taking money from widower

Motloch had been telling the widower that she had cancer

(Stock photo)
A 93-year-old senior is left with nothing but bitcoin receipts after being scammed out of $15,000 in July. She’s hoping that sharing her experience will prevent others from being hurt. (Heather Colpitts/Langley Advance Times)

Cloverdale senior hit by tag-teaming scammers, defrauding her of $15,000

93-year-old grandmother doesn’t want to see this happen to other seniors

A 93-year-old senior is left with nothing but bitcoin receipts after being scammed out of $15,000 in July. She’s hoping that sharing her experience will prevent others from being hurt. (Heather Colpitts/Langley Advance Times)