Police warn of bank card scam involving courier service

We are warning Calgarians of a recent scam that several people have fallen victim to, totaling a combined loss of nearly $60,000.

Recently the Calgary Police Service has received several reports in relation to a scam where victims are being targeted for their debit cards.

In many instances, the scammer will call the victim and pretend to be an employee from their bank or financial institution and state that the victim’s debit card has been compromised. In order to remedy the issue, the suspect offers to send a courier to pick up the old card on behalf of the bank, and promises that a new one will arrive in the next few days.

The victim provides their address, and a courier or delivery driver will then attend the victim’s residence, collect the card and often ask for the PIN. Once the PIN is obtained, the suspect will access the victim’s funds by either withdrawing a large amount of money or purchasing items using the card.

When the suspect contacts the victim, they are using phone numbers that appear to be coming from the bank, but the calls are not originating from those businesses.

If you receive this type of call, hangup and do not engage with the person on the other end. If you are concerned about your financial accounts having been compromised, phone your bank with a number you have verified is legitimate, connect with them through their secure app, or visit them in-person.

Do not allow individuals to send a courier to pick up your bank card.

“We have identified this scam occurring in Calgary, but we know from being in touch with other law enforcement agencies, that this ongoing fraud trend is happening in several areas of the country,” says Acting Staff Sgt. Simon Ross of the Calgary Police Service Economic Crimes Unit. “These calls can seem very real to the unsuspecting victims, so we are taking this opportunity to warn Calgarians that this is not a typical bank process and to have a heightened sense of awareness when answering calls from banks and financial institutions as someone may be impersonating an employee.”

Anyone who has suffered a financial loss or who has had their personal information compromised because of fraud can report it to the Calgary Police Service by contacting the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

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If you have received a fraudulent text message, email or phone call but have not sustained a financial loss, please report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.