Edmonton police have launched a new fraud prevention campaign, as scams have increased every year in the past five years.
Fraud has grown by 89 per cent since 2013, and in the first nine months of 2018, scams went up by 9.5 per cent, police said.
The scams are largely the same: fraudsters act as police or government agencies and ask for money over the phone, e-mail, text and social media.
What has changed is that scammers now demand Bitcoin and e-transfers, police said.
EPS is warning Edmontonians with signs near Bitcoin machines at cafes across the city, and developing brochures in multiples languages to assist newcomers.
“We noticed the large majority of complainants were newcomers to the Edmonton area,” Const. Kyle Pepper said in a press release.
EPS reminded Edmontonians that government bodies do not demand payment for taxes or fines over the phone, threaten deportation or arrests for non-payment, or accept Bitcoin, gift cards or e-transfer as payment.
Anyone who has been defrauded is encouraged to call EPS at 780-423-4567.
