VPD warns of callers posing as senior officers to demand money

Vancouver Police are warning residents about fraudsters posing as senior VPD officers and trying to convince victims to transfer large sums of money.

Police say a victim lost $10,000 last month after a caller claiming to be Deputy Chief Constable Alison Laurin directed them to provide banking information to another person posing as a bank investigator. More recently, a Sunshine Coast victim lost $100,000 after being contacted by people impersonating Chief Constable Steve Rai.

Acting Insp. Shiv Gill of the VPD Financial Crime Unit said police officers, including senior officers, will never ask someone to hand over money as part of an investigation. He said scammers can spoof legitimate police phone numbers.

Residents who receive a suspicious call should hang up and contact their bank or local police through a publicly listed number. VPD also advises people never to share banking credentials, one-time passwords or authentication codes by phone, and never to deposit money into a cryptocurrency ATM at a caller's direction. Those who believe they have been defrauded should contact their financial institution immediately and notify police.