2022 has made some technologies a lot more popular and with new developments, come new scams and cons. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has issued a warning to all Canadians about the upsurge of some scams involving crypto, timeshares, and more. If you want to know what scams to watch out for in 2022, keep on reading.
Avoid Being Too Curious About Crypto
While it is true that a lot of people seem to be making big bucks buying and selling cryptocurrencies, it is not a playground for people who do not know what they are doing and those who stand to lose more than what they can gain. The first rule should be not to invest what you are not prepared to lose as there have been cases of people withdrawing all their life savings, buying cryptocurrencies and then being forced to watch the value plummet to nothing.
One Calgary investor reported losing $2,500 to a crypto scam. The fraudulent trading company that she transacted with promised a $200 gain within 2 weeks after which they asked for an additional $10,000. When she refused and wanted to withdraw her money, her account showed a balance of zero dollars. She is not alone in this. The BBB estimates that Canadians lose an average of $600 to cryptocurrency frauds. The total could be in the millions but people generally do not come forward about this as they usually deal with unregulated sources.
Watch Out for Too Good to Be True Job Offers
A woman from Ontario was offered $30/hr for a data entry job for a women’s clothing chain. It turned out that the clothing chain did not exist and the check that they’ve deposited in her account for her to turn to cash for them was fake. She ended up owing the bank the amount.
Imposter Scam
Some scammers pretend to be representatives of government agencies or official entities to get unsuspecting victims to wire them payments for infarctions that do not exist. One victim was conned by a fake Canadian Border Services Agency officer who told the victim that her bank account will be seized for suspicious activities. Scared, the victim complied with the request for assets to be sent for safeguarding, but it turned out that she deposited them on Bitcoin machines. The money cannot be traced anymore.
Rental Scam
A couple from Ottawa was confused about a phone call they’ve received from their agent that says their tenant is complaining about a rental increase. They have no such tenant and are not aware that their rental has been occupied. It turned out that a fake owner was contacted by the tenant and the fake owner got the money and was demanding more. It is believed that the fake owner got the key from a lock box and from there, it was only a matter of finding their listing and copying it to direct inquiries to the fake owner.
With fraud on the rise, it pays to be extra vigilant and know how to protect yourself against scammers. If you suspect that something is fishy about a deal or an offer, you might want to consider contacting a private investigator to have it verified. A small investment for your peace of mind is worth saving yourself from losing thousands of dollars and lots of wasted time to fraud. Contact us if you need access to private investigator services in Toronto and nearby areas. We’ll be happy to respond to your questions about avoiding scams in 2022.
