The Economic Crimes Unit has put out an alert to Calgarians to be aware of several mass marketing scams that are making the rounds.

Police say three frauds are topping the trending list right now; loan scams, online rental scams and immigration or CRA scams.

Loan Scams

Scammers are operating online loan companies and may offer applealing interest rates as low as three percent to lure victims.

The fraudsters then ask them to pay an initial fee, ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and sometimes also demand banking or personal information.

Police say the offenders use 1-800 or 1-888 phone numbers and spoofing devices to mimic local area codes and often use the company names, 'Loan Shark Industries' or 'Capital Finance".

Rental Scams

Many people rent properties online and police are reminding Calgarians to be cautious when booking rental properties on the Internet.

Renters are often asked to contact the owner of the property and provide a deposit, via money order, prior to seeing it.

Police say in many cases the renter is asked to address the money to someone outside the country and through the process they can then become a victim of a scam.

To avoid rental scams:

  • Only deal with landlords or renters who are local
  • Be suspicious if you’re asked to only use a wire transfer service
  • Research the average rental rates in that area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower
  • Do not give out personal information such as social security, bank account, or credit card number

Another type of rental scam that is making the rounds involves the hijacking of legitimate rental properties by fraudsters.

In these cases, the offender gives the renter excuses about why they can't view the property in person and will often demand cash deposits before running away with the money.

The scammers often prey on people who are trying to find accomodations outside the province and will ask the renter to transfer the deposit through Canada Post Moneygram and then they disappear with the funds.

Immigration or Canada Revenue Agency Scams

Most of these scams involve calling the victim's home telephone but police say some have also happened via email.

The scammer calls the victim claiming to work for the CRA or Canada Citizenship or Immigration and demands they stay on the line.

They then make threats about unpaid fees or taxes and tell the victim that failure to pay will result in them going to jail or being deported. The victim is then told to pay the fees through e-transfer, money wire, or to purchase a pre-paid gift card and mail it to a specific address.

Here's a few tips to help protect yourself from fraud:

  • Do not feel pressure to respond to a request until you have a chance to verify the story.
  • Never transfer money, or give out credit card or other financial information, until you can verify the person’s identity and the story, and determine whether it is legitimate.
  • Ask for call back numbers in order to confirm the legitimacy of any call you receive.
  • Don’t believe what you see. Business logos, websites and email addresses can easily be duplicated to look legitimate.
  • Watch for poor grammar and spelling.
  • Contact the business directly to legitimize the communication before you take any action. Search online to get contact information from an official source.
  • Hover your mouse over links to check their true destination. If the URL doesn’t match the link, or seems suspicious, don’t click on it.  
  • Be wary of unexpected emails that contain links or attachments from unknown senders.
  • Update your computer’s anti-virus software.
  • Ignore calls for immediate action or messages that create a sense of urgency.
  • Beware of Phishing emails posing as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requesting personal information, or links within an email re-directing to a fraudulent website that appears to represent the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The CRA does not email Canadians and request personal information.
  • Is the price realistic for the property, number of bedrooms, location and amenities provided? If the price is too good to be true, it likely is.
  • Beware of landlords that say they are out of the country but require a deposit, or landlords and property managers that are unwilling to meet in person.
  • Take steps to verify that the advertiser is the property manager or is authorized to rent the property.
  • Never provide personal information such as SIN, bank account information or credit card numbers.
  • Never submit a deposit without a careful inspection of the property or rental advertised.
  • Ask the neighbours about the property owner and history of the property.
  • Avoid cash deposits or payments as they are untraceable.

Anyone with information about these types of frauds is asked to contact Calgary Police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637