Officers are reminding community organizations to be cautious when receiving suspicious emails after receiving reports of “phishing”-style fraud attempts targeting Victoria community associations this week.
The latest round of fraud attempts appear to exploit publicly available contact information for board and other staff members, according to Victoria police.
In one attempt, scammers spoofed the email address and name of a treasurer, and directed another staff member to make an online payment.
Fortunately, the staff member spotted the scam and not only informed other staff, but those within the wider community association community.
The last week has been particularly eventful with regards to scams in the Greater Victoria area.
On Friday, June 8, a CRA scammer showed up at a victim’s door in Esquimalt. And earlier in the week, a woman was asked to provide personal information via email to someone pretending to be a Victoria police officer.
Police suggest that, if you are a member of a community organization, to speak with your staff and colleagues about fraud and “phishing”-style email scams.
“A strong protection against them is to enact a policy of follow-up in person or over the phone confirmation. Ensure your organization regularly reviews its finances and report any suspicious transactions to police,” VicPD stated in a release.
For more information on “phishing” and other similar fraud attempts, please visit vicpd.ca/fraud.
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