The Prince George RCMP is advising the public of a scam making the rounds with job-seekers.
This is how it works: the person seeking a job answers an add for potential employment. The employers send a cheque and ask the job-seeker to cash it and send some of the money back to the fraudster, with a bogus reason why they need you to cash the cheque.
“The cheques are fraudulent, but this isn’t always caught until after you have already sent the fraudsters the funds. This means you are out all of that money, which can sometimes be in the thousands of dollars,” stated Corporal Jennifer Cooper.
The moral of the story is to never agree to receive funds into your personal bank account to forward elsewhere; there is a good chance you are being used as a “money mule” and contributing towards money laundering.
If you have been approached to take part in a scam like this, or any other type of fraud, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to make a report. If you have lost money, please also report it to your local police.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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