In Dawson City, Yukon, one man has says he’s found himself being targeted by scammers not once, but three times this year.
Lee Manning owns and operates multiple businesses within Dawson’s downtown core. He said he started noticing charges to his account for a food delivery service in the United States.
“They were charging my card every day,” Manning said. “It was a few hundred dollars a day.”
Manning said he reported the changes to his bank’s fraud department, had his card cancelled, and was told a new card would be sent to him by mail.
That’s when Manning said his new card, which hadn’t arrived in Dawson yet, had again been compromised.
He said he contacted his bank, CIBC, again.
“What I found difficult was every other occurring transaction had stopped but the fraudulent transactions were still able to go through again.”
The only way Manning could prove to the bank that he hadn’t given his new card number to anyone was by showing that the card was actually being mailed to the bank branch, not his home. Manning said records showed that he had not actually picked up the card before it had been compromised for a second time.
Manning said the bank suggested cancelling it, and request a third card be sent to the bank.
“I was sort of thinking well if they’ve done this twice now sending out a card, I think it’s more compromised at the bank than with my transactions so I don’t see how that’s going to help,” he said. “So what we did is they put a stop on that particular merchant.”
Manning said it seemed to solve the problem until four days ago when he learned his card has once again been compromised.
“What I find is frightening is I was told categorically that I must have given my card details out,” Manning said. “That was the only possibility, and I haven’t. “
One of the businesses owned by Manning is the town’s Yukon Spa. He said many of his customers have recently told him they too have experienced a compromised debit, or credit card this year.
Don’t give out info over the phone, RCMP say
Calista MacLeod is a sergeant with the RCMP in Whitehorse.
She said she recently received a call from someone posing as her bank’s representative.
MacLeod said the person on the other end told her that someone was making large charges on her credit card.
“Initially you become very alarmed,” MacLeod said. “I was like ‘yeah no that’s not my charges’ and they really prey on your concern for your financial stuff.”
MacLeod said through her training she picked up on some of the red flags pretty quickly.
She said the questions the person was asking should have been known by her bank already, and decided to err on the side of caution.
“I said, ‘You know what I’m going to hang up and call you back,'” MacLeod said. “Immediately the caller hung up on me.”
MacLeod said phone scams are very common, but examples like this mean they’re becoming more sophisticated. She said it’s extremely important to never give any personal information over the phone.
“Anytime someone is calling you and saying that they’re from your bank hang up and then call the number on the back of your credit card or bank card just to be sure that you are speaking to your bank.”
