B.C. senior defrauded of $7.5M in crypto scam, police say
A B.C. senior was defrauded of $7.5 million in a months-long cryptocurrency scam, according to authorities.
The Burnaby RCMP described the "elaborate fraud" in a warning issued Thursday, calling the case "one of the largest personal scams the detachment has ever investigated."
The victim told police she was first contacted through a text message in Chinese in the Spring of 2022 by someone asking her about her "personal business history," Mounties said, noting that the woman speaks Mandarin.
“We are sharing this story to protect other people from falling victim to similar scams. Fraudsters are often changing tactics. In this case it appears they were able to tailor the scam to target this victim in particular," said Const. Philip Ho in the media release.
Over a period of months, the victim and the scammer communicated frequently via text, phone, and a chatting app and cultivating what the RCMP described as a friendly, trusting relationship. Eventually, the woman was convinced to invest millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Checking her investments online, they appeared to be legitimate, but police say this was part of the ruse and the apps the senior downloaded were "spoofed" to resemble recognizable trading platforms.
When she tried to withdraw her money, she was unable to, according to authorities who say "the person she was communicating with disappeared."
But that wasn't the end of it.
Someone using a different name reached out to the victim, offering to help her recover her money.
"The victim, who was pressured and threatened throughout the course of the scam, invested more, but unfortunately this was also a scam," according to police.
The victim reported her ordeal to police in December of 2022.
“These scammers went to great lengths over many months to defraud this senior and convince her these were legitimate investments,” Ho said.
“These types of frauds often go unreported, but it’s important that victims come forward to police so we can investigate and help support victims, who are at a higher risk of being re-victimized once they have been defrauded by a scam.”
No one has been arrested or charged in the case, but the investigation is ongoing.
The Burnaby RCMP is urging people to familiarize themselves with some of the warning signs of scams. Information on how to identify potential frauds is available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.