The Edmonton Police Service is warning people about a new fraud called “romance scam nests.”
This scam typically targets people who have already fallen victim to a romance scam.
Police said if the victim does not cancel or change the email or phone number they used to communicate with the original fraudster, they run the risk of being re-victimized.
“It is a fairly sophisticated fraud where Faker Makers are hired to craft a very plausible scenario for victims to fall for,” said Detective Linda Herczeg.
According to police, a “Faker Maker” is someone who facilitates online fraud for business purposes. Sometimes they help one fraudster, or could be involved with various syndicates.
Police said the person in charge of a syndicate will create fake entities for a scammer to use, such as fake lawyer profiles, banks, or people looking for love. The Faker Maker then creates authentic-looking internet sites.
“So many people are involved to create this nest of lies, but it’s their money making business,” said Herczeg.
“They have no issues with taking as much money and information they can convince you to give,” she added.
Edmonton police say there have been cases of this scam in the city with victims out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
