Scams to watch out for

The top five scams reported to St. Albert RCMP:

Romance scam

This time of year can be lonely for some people, says RCMP.

Fraudsters steal photos and use dating websites and social media to lure potential victims into sending money for various reasons.

Women fall prey to these types of scams more often than men, the majority of victims between the ages of 40 and 60, says information provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Organized crime groups operating out of West Africa often orchestrate these types of crimes.

They are highly skilled groups of people that manage to keep in 24/7 contact with their victims, even masking their voices on the telephone. They are sophisticated with the psychology they use on their victims, and in some cases they will string the victim along for nine months before requesting a penny.

Grandparents scam

In the typical scenario, a grandparent receives a phone call from a con artist claiming to be one of his or her grandchildren.

The caller goes on to say that they are in some kind of trouble and need money immediately. Typically they claim to be in a car accident, or have encountered trouble returning from a foreign country or they are in need of bail money.

Anti-virus scam

This scheme involves company representatives calling individuals and stating, for example, that it is Microsoft calling and that their computer has viruses.

They offer to repair the computer over the Internet, which can involve the installation of software or the customer allowing the representative remote access to their computer.

Payment for the software or repair service is handled via credit card, Western Union, debit card or Paypal.

It is important to know that Microsoft does not call computer owners to report virus attacks on computers.

Allowing a third party to download software or to remotely access your computer carries inherent risks – they can install malicious software onto your computer and even capture sensitive information from your computer such as your on-line banking information and passwords.

Cheque overpayment scams

In this type of scam, you are sent a cheque for something you have sold but the cheque is made out for more than the agreed amount. The scammer hopes that you will refund the extra money before noticing that the cheque has bounced.

Lottery scam

Like other "too good to be true" scams, lottery scams offer the victim a large sum of money in exchange for paying taxes and other processing fees up front.

Other scams:

EPCOR scam

EPCOR released a warning before Christmas about suspicious phone calls being made to business owners and individuals in Edmonton and surrounding communities.

The caller claims the account holder is in arrears and payments must be made immediately or the power will be shut off.

EPCOR does not take sudden action on billing arrears.

Customers with any questions about strange phone calls are encouraged to call 310-4300 to report the suspicious activity.

Charitable donations (from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)

The end of the year is a peak season for charities to solicit for donations; it is also the peak season for scammers to defraud the public.

Fake charities often use names that are very close to the names of legitimate and respected charities.

When natural disasters such as a hurricane or typhoon devastate a region, legitimate charities will often send out special solicitation requests asking for donations to assist with relief efforts. The scammers will use these disasters as a way to solicit funds from consumers with little or none of the donations reaching the intended victims.

Consumers should do their due diligence and thoroughly research a charity or organization before making a donation.