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Tech · Parksville

Vancouver Island residents lose more than $220,000 to online and phone scams

Oceanside RCMP reports include a $140,000 loss to an unregistered online investment firm and a $77,000 cryptocurrency theft.

By West Coast News staff ·
Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville on Vancouver Island
Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville on Vancouver Island.

Residents of the Parksville Qualicum Beach area have lost more than $220,000 to a series of recent scams, Victoria News reported on Sunday.

One resident reported losing $140,000 on Aug. 19 after investing with an online, non-registered investment firm. On Aug. 21, another lost $77,000 after a caller posing as police persuaded them to allow access to their cryptocurrency accounts. A day earlier, a resident lost $6,000 responding to a call that claimed to offer a lifetime subscription from a phone provider.

Oceanside RCMP received 329 complaints during the week of Aug. 17 to Aug. 23.

Investment and impersonation fraud increasingly runs through websites, messaging apps and crypto wallets, which makes basic digital security habits, such as verifying callers and checking whether a firm is registered, as important for households as for businesses.

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