B.C. cancer patient loses thousands in sophisticated spoofing scam

A Maple Ridge, B.C., woman shares her feelings of anger and embarrassment after falling victim to a scam while undergoing cancer treatment.

“I felt helpless because of where I was at,” Jackie Johnson told Global News.

“Especially right, sitting in a hospital getting my chemo. I couldn’t even get up and go to my bank physically to check if my gut feeling was right of having my bank account emptied.”

Johnson recounted receiving a call from a man claiming to be Joseph from the fraud department of her bank while she was in the middle of a chemotherapy treatment. He informed her that her card was being used in Alberta.

“So he was phoning to see whether or not I was actually in Alberta using my card or if they were fraudulent transactions that were happening,” she said.

Johnson assured the man that she wasn’t in Alberta, and he mentioned that the bank would never ask for her personal information or bank code.

“But at the same time, you know, I know these guys know how to talk,” she said. “And we got to the point where he said, ‘You know, I have to send you the one-time code’.”

Eventually, Johnson was persuaded to provide her personal banking information, leading to a loss of $4,700 from her account.

“It just makes me angry,” she expressed. “It makes me angry.”

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

See also  Titanium rotary heart keeps patient alive for 8 days until transplant

Global News contacted the bank, and they agreed to refund Johnson’s money.

Sgt. Shiv Gill, from the Vancouver Police Department’s financial crime unit, explained that Johnson fell victim to a case of spoofing, where fraudsters manipulate phone numbers to appear genuine.

Gill advised individuals to hang up and directly contact their bank if they receive unsolicited calls asking for personal information or money.

“Our lives are very busy, but what we have to do now is actually go back and then just go directly and talk to that institution,” he emphasized.

Johnson emphasized the importance of not trusting anyone over the phone and urged people to physically visit their bank for any financial matters.

– with files from Rumina Daya

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.