279 Edmontonians lost $723,500.69 last year to online merchandise and ticket frauds. Local Oilers fan, Keith, lost over $600 to an online ticket scam last year.
Keith wanted to find tickets for an upcoming Oilers game in April 2019. It was the final home game - a perfect birthday gift for his wife. After an unsuccessful search, his wife posted a wanted ad on Kijiji. A week went by and a Ticketmaster broker reached out. They talked over the phone and agreed on a set of tickets for the game they wanted. The broker said he only used Coincurve as a mediator for these transactions, because with e-transfer, you just don’t know if the other party will complete their end of the bargain if you send yours first. Keith and his wife did their research on this ‘mediator’ company and it all did seem like a legitimate and fair system for both parties. Keith sent the money, but his bank stopped the transaction. “I told him that if my bank’s not comfortable with this, then I’m not either,” Keith said the broker understood his concern and since there was enough trust built between them, he would agree to an e-transfer; they just had to send it to the broker’s wife’s email.
Keith noticed the money wasn’t accepted and asked if there was a problem. But the broker’s wife was a nurse on shift-work, so she simply didn’t accept it yet. Soon after, Keith was told that the broker’s wife’s bank had cancelled the e-transfer, so Keith received his money back, and with the trust that had been built between buyer and seller, he agreed to send Bitcoin. Finally, this payment method went through and the broker said they’d have their tickets in just a few minutes.
In a few minutes, Keith and his wife had no tickets and their calls were being blocked. Instantly, they knew they had been scammed. With one last effort, Keith contacted the scammer’s wife, in case she didn’t know what her husband had done. In a twist of its own, the “wife” called Keith and revealed that she too had been scammed by this “broker” and was being extorted by him.
“He talked to us on the phone, we had his phone number… he even gave our money back the first time,” Keith explained. “He really let us trust him.”
The complexity of online scams is vast, as they are typically interwoven; the online employment victim sends money to the online romance scam victim, who in turn sends money to the online investment scam victim, who sends all of it in a bitcoin transfer, never to be traced or found.
“Education and understanding are key to the prevention of victimization from fraud,” said Detective Linda Herczeg with the Economic Crimes Section. “We continuously stress online safety. So, if you have social media accounts, learn how to safely use the sites, and take the time to educate yourself on the scams and frauds committed on those platforms. If you’re seeking companionship, whether it be platonic or romantic, understand the risks associated with ‘friending’ anyone online. Don’t be so willing to ‘buy’ love by sending money to someone who is not physically present in your life. In Edmonton last year 62 victims fell for online romance scams. One victim lost as much as $270,000 dollars.”
Throughout March, the EPS and our partners will be sharing information on the common frauds targeting our city; including employment scams, romance scams, identity theft, mass marketing, and much more. We will also tell more stories like Keith’s, from others who want to share their experience and help stop fraud from victimizing others.
Fraud is a crime that is vastly under reported for fear of being judged, shamed, or chastised if they share their experience with family, friends, co-workers, or even the police. But we hope that anyone who is a victim of fraud will trust in us. We are here to help.
Go to Edmontonpolice.ca/fraud for more information on the scams that are
targeting our citizens, and how you too can spot a scam.