Everyone has heard them - those awful, gut wrenching stories of fraud victims and how they came to be. With March being fraud awareness month in Canada, I've decided to share some of the stories that I've heard first hand and from my best friend's-mom's-uncle's-neighbour's-sister's-friend. The names have been changed to protect the victims' identities (personally, I really like their new names)
Kendrick and Kennifer had lived in the same cul-de-sac home for decades. Kennifer was a bookkeeper, and was always meticulous with their records and finances. One day, while she was completing their monthly budget, she logged on to their credit card account to see that charges of over $10,000 were made to their line of credit. Panicked, she called her bank. The gentleman who answered the phone went through the routine identity checks - first name, last name, date of birth, and address. When he got to the address, he advised her that what she was providing was incorrect. She told him that they had lived there for over twenty years. He said the address was recently changed. After digging deeper, Kennifer and Kendrick discovered that someone had gone to the post office, and filled out a change of address form. All of their mail was forwarded to this new po box. The frauders then ordered new cards, had them sent to the po box, used them within the month, and Kendrick and Kennifer were none the wiser. In the end, they used $23,000 worth of credit from the cards they ordered.
Kennilyn wanted to leave the nest. At 23 years old, she was itching to move downtown, sick of her daily commute. Her budget was rather limited, she wanted to stay within $1100 a month. She started her search on kijiji.ca, and was realizing that she could not find the glamourous condo that she dreamed of with her budget. Until she found an ad that was featuring a beautiful unit in a central area for only $1100 a month - all in! She quickly responded to the ad, asking to see the unit. Within a few hours, she received a response from a pastor, saying that he and his wife lived there, but were currently on a religious retreat overseas. He pledged his honesty, and asked that she be honest in return - as he's out of the country and would not be able to keep tabs on his property. He sent her more pictures and a virtual tour, said that he's unable to show the property because he is on his religious retreat. He told her that there was someone else interested, and the unit would go to whomever sent him the deposit first. He said he uses DPD Express, and that the process is completely secure. She sends the money, he sends the keys - neither are released to the other until approval is received from both parties. Kennilyn googled DPD Express, and decided that they were okay to use. She sent her first and last month's rent, and he sent the keys. She got verification from DPD Express that the keys were received, and she released her money. When she went to her unit, the keys did not work, and someone answered the door, surprised that someone was trying to get into their home. Kennilyn never heard from the pastor again.
Kenstopher was really strapped for cash. His car broke down, his payments were behind, and he was running late on his rent. He had already taken out cash advances, and the payments were digging him deeper and deeper. He had 'tender' credit, and couldn't get granted any more loans. He had heard about high interest lending - institutions that would lend larger amounts of money with high interest to people with poorer credit. He just needed one fair sized lump sum to get his feet back on the ground. So, he decided to apply. He got an approval for $10,000, and sighed a breath of relief. Things were finally looking up for Kenstopher. He filled out the forms, provided his bank statements, and corresponded with the friendly staff. They were quick to return emails and phone calls, and expressed how happy they were to be able to help him. They instructed him to send a deposit - $100 for every $1000 he needs to borrow. This will be the interest paid up front. Kenstopher thought, 'what's a thousand dollars compared to the ten I can borrow? I really need it right now'. They told him that if he sends a cheque, money order or bank draft, it will take 7 business days to release his funds, so if he needed it sooner rather than later, he should send cash. He was a little weary of sending cash in the mail, but if he's sending his last thousand dollars, he needs the money as soon as possible. So, he sent the cash.
It's easy to read these stories and think that the victims are stupid. However, frauders target people who are vulnerable and down. In Kennilyn and Kenstopher's case, they capitalized on the emotion behind the act - you want to move out, and you're excited; you're low on cash, and you're really in a bind. What are ways to avoid fraud? Add passwords to all of your credit cards - verification is getting easier and easier to provide. Anyone can find out someone's address and date of birth. Know your balances and finances - make it a second nature to check within the month instead of waiting until your monthly bill arrives. This will help to catch any fraudulent activity before it gets worse. Step back and think - if something is too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
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