Nanaimo RCMP are warning the public of a recent incident of attempted fraud that was targeted at wedding officiants.
According to police, a report was made by the recent victim of attempted fraud who is a registered wedding officiant.
This individual reported that they received an email from a potential client, which asked them to officiate over their wedding.
The officiant says they did not like the tone or language used, so they did not accept the offer.
However, despite being rejected, the scammer continued emailing the officiant using the name ‘Linda Joe.’
The situation escalated when the officiant received a letter which contained a cheque for $2,925. According to the letter, this money was to be used to hire a photographer with any remaining funds to be sent back.
“The complainant wasn’t buying it and could see that it had all the earmarks of a scam,” said R/Cst Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“She therefore stopped all communication, blocked the email and then reported the incident to the Nanaimo RCMP.”
A Nanaimo RCMP investigation found that the name and address on this letter were non-existent and the bank listed on the cheque was reportedly located in Florida.
According to police, the officiant has taken steps to warn other wedding officiants of this fraud attempt through a Facebook group.
Those hoping to find out more about known scams can find resources on the Canadian Anti-Fraud website.
