Police are warning people about a new scam.

The RCMP recently investigated an incident where a person was offered an online job. To avoid detection, the scammers used information from a business in B.C., including a logo from their website. 

For the job, the person was told to purchase gift cards for clients, which would then be reimbursed through cheques. However, when the person tried to deposit the cheques, the bank determined them to be fraudulent.

RCMP are offering some tips to help people identify fraudulent online job opportunities:

  • If it sounds too good to be true, it typically is.
  • Try to confirm that the job truly exists from a real company. Search for the company’s website and find the job posting. Call the company directly to confirm the job opportunity.
  • Be wary of jobs in which you are asked to transfer money to a “client” through Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, gift card, e-transfer or direct deposit into a third party bank account provided to you.
  • Other red flags for fraudulent jobs include emails are sent from free, insecure accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, being required to supply credit card or bank information, or being required to pay money to get the job.

If you have any information about these types of fraudulent activities, contact your local police detachment.