Avoid sending substantial deposits or payments to shady sellers when buying goods online warn Campbell River RCMP.

People are increasingly falling for these scams, in which posters of online ad listings for goods require money to be sent by email. Once the funds are sent, it is unlikely they can be recovered or that the fraudster can be identified through legal means, explained Cst. Maury Tyre, Campbell River RCMP media relations officer, in a release.

“Posters of the ads on online sites rely on high traffic viewing of their ads and hope to nab a few quick dollars before people catch on and report the person to the site host,” said Tyre. “By then, the person has created a new email account and has started their process all over again — essentially, defrauding people is their full time job.”

• There are ways to avoid falling victim to these online fraudsters:
• Stay away from deals that seem too good to be true;
• Confirm the identification of the seller (video chat with them, get them to show you a legitimate ID while they do it, and get them to show the item as well);
• Use intermediary selling sites, that hold funds until item is delivered as promised;
• Don’t pre-send funds that you aren’t okay with losing; and
• Stay away from sales that demand deposits to hold for you.

Criminal or suspicious activity may be reported to Campbell River RCMP at 250-286-6221. Or in an emergency call 911.

RELATED: Significant rise in scam complaints received by Vancouver Island RCMP detachment

Campbell River Mirror