A new type of scam is on the loose designed to scare and intimidate people and RCMP are telling everyone to beware.
According to police, people are contacted either by email or text and are given threatening messages that the sender has been sent to kill them.
RCMP say a pattern has developed where the sender offers to cancel the contract for a large sum of money and requests the funds in cryptocurrency or Bitcoin.
Corporal Jennifer Cooper says it is very important people realize these are scams and illegal, as well anyone receiving these should report them to police immediately.
“It is important to remember that these messages are a type of extortion and to never send any money,” she says. “There is no guarantee that sending money once will stop the messages and demands.”
Cooper states personal information is gathered on how people are doing online searches, and adjusting your privacy settings can help prevent these types of scams.
For more information about common frauds and scams, visit the RCMP’s Fraud page, or visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
