Police warning: Credit card scam victims told to buy gift cards, cryptocurrency

Victims receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a bank employee saying their credit card has been compromised.

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Police are warning people of a recent scam they say has cost some victims thousands of dollars.

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Regina Police Service said in a news release that victims receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a bank employee saying their credit card has been compromised.

Victims have been told that there are unauthorized transactions on their credit card and that their identity has been shared. The scammer will then attempt to recruit the victim to “help catch the international criminals”, police said.

The scammer will then instruct the victim to make purchases of gift cards and cryptocurrency and provide that information to them, sometimes costing the victim thousands of dollars. The scammer will sound very official and may even pretend to transfer the victim to the financial institution’s security department.

No financial institution will ask you to make a payment with gift cards or cryptocurrency, police said.

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this type of scam should call their financial institution immediately as well as reporting it to police.

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