File Photo (Image Credit: Merritt RCMP)

By Zachary Stewart / Q101 Merritt

Scam Avoidance

Merritt RCMP warn residents to keep their guards up to potential scammers

Jan 18, 2023 | 1:53 PM

MERRITT, B.C. – Scammers are very active during the holiday seasons, but Merritt RCMP warn residents they are still prevalent throughout the Nicola Valley in the new year.

“They’re very quick and very smart in how to manipulate people to get them to do what they want,” said Blake Chursinoff, Community Policing Officer.

One of the things officers said scammers want you to do is keep there operation a secret during and after the communication.

“One of the red flags they might try to convince you to keep a secret,” said Marlene Jones, Community Policing Office Coordinator. “They know you should keep that secret because if you told your friends, then their scam is busted.”

Furthermore, Jones gives the two bigger warning signs to look out for if approached by a scammer.

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“They pick the larger companies where you have a better chance of actually having an account, maybe Amazon, Telus, and bank accounts because we all have those. First off, if someone asks you to keep a secret, we want you to think ‘red flag I need to look into that more’, and then as soon as the idea of gift cards comes up in a conversation that’s another red flag.”

When it comes to advice on how to handle scammers at the time of the initial point of contact, Chursinoff said it is a gut feeling.

“The old saying is ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’, this is 100% true. If it sounds too good of a deal, most likely it is and its not actually real.”

If you feel like you are going through a scam or fraud, officers recommend checking out the Canadian Anti-Fraud website for more tips and advice to handle the situation.