As I write this story, the police scanner reports a theft from a vehicle. An iPod was stolen from a parked car overnight. Every other week, the RCMP in St. Albert sends out press releases about similar crimes.
As I write this story, the police scanner reports a theft from a vehicle. An iPod was stolen from a parked car overnight.
Every other week, the RCMP in St. Albert sends out press releases about similar crimes. Unlocked cars, left in driveways, are broken into. Many of the victims think it's bad luck and move on with their lives.
But Cpl. Laurel Kading says residents must be vigilant about locking their doors. Today's thieves are out for more than valuables. Information has become a hot commodity, and identity theft is on the rise.
“It's because we live so electronically. The ability, if I get enough information about you, to set up accounts under your name, it's actually easy,” she says. “If I can have your birth certificate, I can get a driver's licence under that name. Birth certificates don't have pictures.”
In the past three months, identity theft has led to several calls to the RCMP.
In one case, a bank's fraud department protected a customer from financial loss. They noticed that someone had applied for a new credit card under the person's name, taken a cash advance and transferred the money to another account. In another case, a St. Albert man's identity was used to set up a false cellphone account.
Banks and businesses are vigilant about making residents aware of the dangers of identity theft, says Kading. But if someone walks in with your information, “it's really hard for a business person to know it's not you.”
She advises residents leave birth certificates and social insurance cards at home. Registration papers for cars should be carried in a wallet, not left in the glove compartment. After a theft, banks should be notified in case someone tries to apply for a new credit card, or takes out a loan under one's name.
And doors must remain locked. Thieves may not only take what's inside the car. They also tell others about who leaves their doors open, who owns expensive valuables, and which streets are worth going back to.
“I've had people say, ‘it's no big deal.' But it can be further than that,” says Kading. “You are becoming a magnet to drawing that activity to your neighbourhood.”
Victims of fraud or identity theft should contact the RCMP at 780-458-7700. More information is also available on the website of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Fraud cases in St. Albert
From Jan. 1 to March 19, St Albert RCMP received 27 reports of fraud. Although most of the types of scams are not new, fraud crimes are still happening and fraud artists continue to profit from tricking people out of their money. Some of the scams reported include:
· A St. Albert business cancelled an order after finding out that the order was paid for with a stolen credit card.
· Credit cards were stolen or compromised on four occasions. In three cases, purchases were made, one exceeding $2,000, and one using the ‘tap to pay' feature.
• In another case, a resident received a call from a fraudster saying that she had been charged an amount on her credit card in error and the caller asked for her credit card number so she could be reimbursed.
· A business person paid money to rent a booth at a vendor event in Edmonton and paid money through an e-transfer. The owner then discovered that the event location did not exist and the rental money had been scammed.
· A resident contacted an ad for a job as a mystery shopper and provided them with her name, address and other personal information. She then received two cheques to deposit and was advised by the bank that the cheques were stolen. Often, the scam tries to get the resident to deposit money back before the cheque gets cleared.
· A resident received a call from a person calling himself a “Microsoft expert.” The caller requested the resident's credit card number and information to fix the computer. These “experts” do not represent Microsoft.
· Someone wrote cheques in the name of a resident and tried to cash them after the person's ID was stolen from a locker.
· Two people were asked to send money overseas after receiving calls that they won money there. They were told to send money to pay fees to process their winnings.
