Powell River RCMP received a report of a fraud from a local self-employed artist on October 17.
The artist had been in communication with a purchaser and received a cheque for the purchase of three pieces of art; the cheque cleared in the artist’s bank account.
A short time later, the purchaser called the artist claiming that their child was dying of COVID-19 and requested a refund of a portion of the money. The artist then wired a large portion of the funds back to an account registered to a company.
Shortly thereafter, the cheque was reversed from the artist’s bank account, and the artist lost thousands of their own money.
Police are investigating the fraud. RCMP investigators are reminding the public to be vigilant with transferring funds and personal information due to the large number of scams.
Anyone with information about the incident above is asked to contact Powell River RCMP at 604.485.6255, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS (8477) or online at bccrimestoppers.com.
