Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Mounties in Richmond warn of romance-investment scams costing some over $16M

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Mar, 2024 12:43 PM
  • Mounties in Richmond warn of romance-investment scams costing some over $16M

Mounties in Richmond are warning the public after a "significant rise" in romance scams and investment schemes in the city, with a loss of more than $16 million last year.

Police say they received 87 reports of romance crimes in 2023, and the trend continues this year with another 12 cases being reported between January to March with nearly $500,000 lost.

RCMP say these "long-con scams" involve grooming of the victims over weeks or months to nurture the relationship enough to convince them to invest their money in the fraud scheme.

The criminals usually find their victims through dating websites or other social media, and police say they entice them with false promises of profit, and may even show fake returns on initial investments, before their victims are financially ruined.

The scams usually involve cryptocurrencies, and police say they believe the actual number of victims may be higher as some might hesitant to come forward due to embarrassment or fear.

Police say people need to stay cautious and be skeptical of unsolicited contacts, especially from “overly attractive” profiles or strangers who show romantic interests.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver police officer is directed to remove Star of David patch from uniform

Vancouver police officer is directed to remove Star of David patch from uniform
Vancouver police say an officer has been told to remove from his uniform a patch that shows the Star of David. An image of the officer wearing the black patch that includes the star and white bars, similar to the Israeli flag, had been posted on social media on Thursday.  

Vancouver police officer is directed to remove Star of David patch from uniform

Interior health says parents should ensure kids caught up vaccination

Interior health says parents should ensure kids caught up vaccination
Interior Health says parents should ensure their kids are caught up with their childhood immunizations, as data shows declining vaccination rates.  Health officials say most parents know that childhood vaccines are safe, but online misinformation and other factors, such as parents simply forgetting, could be factors in the decrease in immunization rates.

Interior health says parents should ensure kids caught up vaccination

Truck firm, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd, involved in multiple B.C. overpass strikes loses licence to operate

Truck firm, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd,  involved in multiple B.C. overpass strikes loses licence to operate
The British Columbia government has cancelled the operation licence of the trucking company involved in multiple highway overpass strikes since 2021. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says in a statement that the province has sent a formal cancellation notice to Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. for the company's operations in B.C.  

Truck firm, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd, involved in multiple B.C. overpass strikes loses licence to operate

'I heard my mother's last screams': Canadian Sikh shooting survivor slams cops for 'inaction'

'I heard my mother's last screams': Canadian Sikh shooting survivor slams cops for 'inaction'
With 13 bullets pumped inside her body, the lone survivor of a shooting spree in Canada last year who watched her Sikh parents die in front of her, wants swift justice and says police didn't do their duty well. Jagtar Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Kaur, both in their 50s, were shot more than 20 times just before midnight on November 20 at their rental property along the Caledon-Brampton border in Ontario province.  

'I heard my mother's last screams': Canadian Sikh shooting survivor slams cops for 'inaction'

2 deliberately hit by car in Abbotsford

2 deliberately hit by car in Abbotsford
Two youth in Abbotsford who said they were deliberately hit by a car were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Officers were called to a neighbourhood yesterday and found the teens who said the driver struck them after a disturbance.  

2 deliberately hit by car in Abbotsford

RCMP forms team to combat extortion

RCMP forms team to combat extortion
The RCMP says it has established a national team to help co-ordinate investigations and information sharing about extortion schemes targeting South Asian businesses in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Mounties say the team is a "nationwide alliance" of police agencies that are all investigating extortion and violent threats, which have been tied to shootings and arson. 

RCMP forms team to combat extortion