Scams To Be Wary Of

RCMP are passing on some advice to keep residents from falling victim to scams this summer.

One of them involves an adult male who typically goes door to door and solicits cash to pay for the services of a tow truck. Often the man claims to be a neighbour of the scam victim that he has broken his door key in the lock of his vehicle and has found himself short an amount of money needed to pay for the tow truck. The suspect typically promises to pay the victim back, however he never returns.

Police say elderly residents are most often victimized in that one.

RCMP say there is also no shortage of door to door scams throughout the Central Okanagan, where the victim is often pressured into or convinced to purchase a service they neither want or necessarily need.

“The scam often involves the scammer providing the victim with an invoice for an unreasonable and grossly overpriced amount for the often simple service provided,” says Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

There is also the potential for being scammed when deciding to purchase items, such as electronics from unknown individuals in a parking lot or other public locations.

“Often times the items being sold are overpriced, and the buyer can feel pressured to buy quickly as supply is limited. RCMP would recommend the public to do their due diligence and research the purchase before buying,” cautions O’Donaghey.

For tip information on how to protect yourself from becoming the victim of a scam or fraud visit the BC RCMP website (http://bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2081&languageId=1&contentId=-1 ) or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website ( http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/fraud-escroquerie/index-eng.htm )