How a B.C. bank teller prevented an elderly man from getting scammed out of $26,000

The RCMP in Richmond, B.C., are reporting that a teller at a local bank contacted police during a fraud, giving them enough time to stop the crime in its tracks.

On Sept. 11, the police were alerted by a teller, who told them that an elderly man has just withdrawn a large amount of cash and was headed to a local mall to meet with someone.

“Richmond RCMP located the victim and stopped him from purchasing gift cards,” the police said in a statement. “The victim was still on the phone with the scammers who insisted the victim to complete the purchase.”

The scammers then told the victim they had just transferred $26,000 from his account. The police brought the man back to his bank and confirmed that the transaction had just taken place. Because of the speed of the response, the bank was able to reverse the transfer and put the money back into the victim’s account.

“We want to thank the teller for her quick thinking and timely action, preventing an elderly client from losing most of their life savings,” said Inspector Mike Roberts, Operations Officer at Richmond RCMP.

“Phone scams and gift card scams are continuing,” he added: “We urge everyone to exercise caution when answering unsolicited phone calls. When in doubt, hang up and don’t be afraid to say No.”

The RCMP notes that anyone who suspects they are a victim of fraud should contact their local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre  at http://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca

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