Vernon RCMP reminding residents to be watchful of social media scams

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP is reminding residents to be vigilant and take steps in protecting themselves from social media scams.

In a recent report to the RCMP, a scammer contacted the victim through a fake Instagram account and caught their attention with an investment opportunity.

Before the victim realized the investment opportunity was a scam, they sent money and personal information to the fraudster, and the fraudster locked their accounts.

“Social media may be a common way to connect with friends and families, but keep in mind that fraudsters will also use these platforms to cheat people out of money and personal information,” said media relations officer Constable Chris Terleski, in a press release.

“Awareness and education are key; being able to recognize and reject these types of scams before they happen is the single most effective way to put an end to fraud in our community,” he added.

RCMP are reminding residents to protect themselves from scams by thoroughly vetting all friend requests on social media, only accepting friend requests from people they know, reviewing account privacy and security settings, and never providing personal information on social media.

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