Beware of 'zombie debt,' local Better Business Bureau warns
With Halloween just days away, the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C. is warning locals to avoid getting tricked out of their money through so-called "zombie scams."
CTV Morning Live spoke with Simone Lis, local BBB president, Wednesday about the debt-collection scam.
"What happens is you get a call or a letter from someone and they claim that you owe money and their intention is to spook you into paying that money," Lis said, explaining it's called a "zombie scam" because the debt doesn't actually exist.
"They can be really nice about it, they can use some really legitimate techniques like trying to arrange some sort of a payment plan with you as if they are a debt collector. Or they can be threatening law action, threatening to take you to court, threatening to impact your credit, so it can be quite scary."
While the name of the scam may be seasonally appropriate, Lis said it can pop up any time of year and victims may be contacted by phone, letter or online.
"One of the reports that we had they actually sent her a letter and it purported to be from a legitimate company, claiming that she owed over $15,000," Lis said.
"When she did some research and really reflected on it, she realized this was not her debt and she just discarded the letter."
Lis said the scam appears to be impacting people aged 18 to 24 and 55 to 64. That younger group, she explained, may not be aware of what legitimate debt collection looks like.
"What we really wanted to do is we want to educate people about what to look out for, commonalities about scams and then also to try to teach them to not engage at all," Lis said, adding it's "really hard" to get money back after falling for a scam.
"My biggest advice is to listen to your gut instinct. If you're not sure, talk to someone. Research has shown when you do talk to someone, that in itself can help you sort of navigate this type of situation. And then if you are a victim, please report it. We learn from those experiences, law enforcement learn and then they work to shut down some of these things."
Anyone who thinks they've been the victim of a scam should contact their local police department and report it on BBB.org/scamtracker.
Watch the full CML interview with Simone Lis in the video player above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.