EDMONTON -- A St. Albert resident is out $20,500 after falling victim to a telephone fraudster, police say.
According to Mounties, the victim reported on Feb. 2 they had received a voicemail saying they had been overcharged for IT services and were entitled to a refund of $210.
When they returned the call, police say they granted the fraudster access to their computer to help with the online banking.
The thief said he would transfer money from a Chase banking account, according to police, and asked the victim to type in $210, but when the transaction went through, $21,000 had been transferred into the account.
Police said the scammer said he couldn’t fix the error without excessive banking fees, and asked the victim to go to their bank and wire transfer $20,500 to him in Thailand.
The bank reportedly warned the victim not to transfer the money, but the resident chose to complete the transfer, and the victim now owes the bank $20,500.
Police are reminding the public never to grant access to their computer or electronic devices to someone claiming to be from a credit card company or bank.
Anyone who has been a victim of fraud, or who would like more information on fraud scams in Canada can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
