The Longueuil police call for vigilance in connection with the “upsurge” of a fraud scheme aimed particularly at the elderly, which consists of simulating fraudulent transactions on an account and then recovering credit cards.
Posted at 3:50 p.m.
This type of fraud, more commonly known as “false representatives”, is known to Longueuil police officers, who say they have intervened “in more than 50 such cases following complaints received from citizens” in recent months. But recently, the Longueuil agglomeration police department (SPAL) says it has seen an “upsurge in the number of frauds” related to this practice.
In general, the modus operandi of these “false representatives” is always the same. First, a first suspect contacts the victims on their residential line, and informs them of “alleged fraudulent transactions” on their bank account. An internet application is then used to make “Desjardins” appear on the victim’s display, so that the victim believes he is talking to the financial institution.
Shortly after, the fraudster usually mentions to the victim “that she is a victim of fraud” and asks her to “place her bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) in an envelope, so that a colleague can go get them back as soon as possible. New cards will be delivered later, we promise the person on the phone. Around the same time, a second suspect shows up at the victim’s home to retrieve the envelope.
“Everything generally takes place under pressure, citing urgency, while the victim is sometimes still on the phone with the false representative. Transactions are then carried out in the minutes and hours that follow at merchants located near the card recovery address, ”explain the authorities.
They advise never to give personal information over the phone, and to be wary of unsolicited calls asking for your name, address, date of birth, social insurance number or bank details. , such as a credit card number.
“No banking institution will ask you to recover your debit or credit cards, as well as your personal identification numbers (PIN)”, reminds the SPAL, which suggests to people who think they are on the phone with a fraudster to “end the call”, then to contact the number on the back of your credit card, “if possible from another telephone device”. You can also call 911 to report any type of fraud.