Richmond Seniors Warned About Emerging Scam Tactics
RCMP are alerting residents to fraudulent bank drafts being used to pay for online purchases, a scheme targeting both merchants and buyers.
Richmond RCMP are flagging a scam that's been hitting local residents: fraudulent bank drafts used to pay for items purchased online. The scheme is straightforward but effective—buyers claim to pay with official-looking bank drafts that turn out to be counterfeits, leaving merchants holding worthless paper and customers out their merchandise.
The vulnerability lies in how easy it is to forge bank drafts, and how long it can take financial institutions to flag them as fraudulent. By the time the bank draft clears (or fails to clear), goods have already shipped and the scammer has disappeared. For seniors, who may be less familiar with digital payment red flags or more trusting of official-looking documents, the risk is particularly acute.
RCMP recommend sticking with established digital payment methods—credit cards, PayPal, e-transfers through recognized banks—rather than accepting anything that requires manual verification. If a deal seems to demand an unusual payment method, it probably is.
The warning reflects a broader pattern: as seniors become more active online, scammers are adapting their tactics to match their targets' comfort levels with technology and financial institutions.