Nanaimo, B.C., man nearly loses thousands of dollars in iTunes scam

NANAIMO, B.C. – Police in Nanaimo, B.C., are warning the public after a man was caught in an iTunes scam.

RCMP say the man received an email that appeared to be from Apple iTunes listing several transactions on his account, and asking him to click on a link if the charges were incorrect or fraudulent.

He opened the link and was prompted to enter his credit card number, the security code, his social insurance number, date of birth and his mother’s maiden name.

Mounties say the man’s bank called the next day asking if he was withdrawing $9,000 on his credit card and the man realized he had been scammed.

RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien says alarm bells should have been ringing when the man was asked for his credit card information and social insurance number.

O’Brien says such personal information should never be given out because it can be used to make purchases, or open fraudulent bank accounts.