Posted:
Police are advising citizens of a recurring scam involving a company offering to pay people to display advertisements on their vehicles.
The HRP/RCMP Integrated Financial Crime Section has received several reports from people who were contacted by email or answered an online classified ad from a company seeking to employ them. The company is offering generous compensation if the individual agrees to affix a magnetic sign to their vehicle for promotional purposes. When the individual agrees to work for the company, they receive a magnetic sign for a legitimate business along with a cheque for a large amount of money. The company advises the individual to cash the cheque, keep a generous amount of money for the work they are doing, and then wire the remainder of the money to an overseas bank. In at least one case, the victim wired a large sum of money to China only to realize a few days later that the cheque was counterfeited and he was now out the money. The victim in this case was defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars and the fraudster does not appear to be affiliated with the company displayed on the magnetic signs.
HRM Partners in Policing reminds citizens to be suspicious of any offer to make quick and easy money and to be careful before sending any funds to an unknown person or company. Also, you should not give personal information to anyone, whether solicitation occurs by telephone, email or in person, unless you have initiated the contact or you are certain of the identification of the individual and the legitimacy of the organization they claim to represent.
If you have been the victim of a scam, you should report the matter to police by calling the HRP/RCMP Integrated Financial Crime Unit at 490-1985 or online at https://www.halifax.ca/fire-police/police/reporting-crime