RCMP warn public of telephone scam in the name of 'Cops for Kids' charity
By Nelson Daily Staff
Southern Interior RCMP are warning the public of a telephone scam in the name of Cops for Kids that could be circulating throughout the Southeast District and other parts of the province.
The RCMP report separate calls are being received of suspicious phone soliciting in addition to aggressive and high pressure type phone soliciting.
“In one case, a Vernon resident was recently solicited by a female caller on the phone seeking donations via credit card for the Cops for Kids charity,” Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said on the RCMP website.
“The woman claimed to be having troubles with her computer and handed off the call to her male boss who was attempting to complete the transaction and advised the victim that the transaction would not appear on her credit card statement as Cops for Kids.
“It was at that point that the victim became suspicious and called police. The victim contacted her credit card security department and canceled her card immediately and no fraudulent transactions had taken place,” he added.
Moskaluk said most communities in the Southeast District are familiar with the Cops For Kids Charitable Foundation and the RCMP’s affiliation to it.
He would like to remind the public that the RCMP and the Cops for Kids Charitable Foundation do not participate in any type of fundraising through cold phone calls.
Information on how to donate to can be reviewed online at anytime throughout the year by visiting www.copsforkids.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/51960005969/
The public should be advised that the RCMP does not engage in telephone solicitations of any kind to raise funds.
Moskaluk said the public should be vigilant and to question those collecting funds for any cause.
There are resources including the Better Business Bureau and the Canadian Radio-Telivision Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), that the public can utilize to verify legitimacy of any fund raising initiatives.
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