At approximately 11:30 am on August 4, Powell River RCMP received a report of a fraud where a local organization fell victim to the business executive scam.
The employee had received an email from what appeared to be the CEO requesting that the employee buy gift cards and then provide the gift card codes via return email. The employee did as directed.
When the employee received another request the next day, they spoke to a supervisor who advised not to respond and that it was a scam. When the employee tried to cancel the gift cards, all but one of the cards had been depleted.
Any request for gift cards should automatically be suspect as this is the common currency for fraudsters. Always follow up with the requester to ensure the request is legitimate.
For tips on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.
Police file number is 2022-3648.
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.
