Vancouver Police warn of scam impersonating Deputy Chief Alison Laurin and bank investigators

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is warning the public about a sophisticated scam in which fraudsters impersonate bank investigators and senior police officials to trick victims into transferring large amounts of money.

In a recent case, a victim received a call from someone pretending to be a financial institution investigator. The call appeared genuine because scammers used a spoofed phone number that displayed the bank’s contact information.

The fraudster claimed the victim’s bank accounts had been compromised and instructed them to log into their online banking account. Shortly afterward, another scammer posing as Vancouver Police Deputy Chief Constable Alison Laurin contacted the victim using a spoofed VPD non-emergency number.

The fake officer convinced the victim to provide access to their bank account. The scammers then transferred $10,000 from a line of credit into the victim’s chequing account and instructed them to withdraw the money and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM. The victim discovered it was a scam only after completing the transaction.

Police remind the public that officers, including senior officials, will never ask anyone to transfer money or deposit funds into cryptocurrency accounts as part of an investigation. Banks also do not request online banking passwords, one-time codes, or two-factor authentication information over the phone.

The VPD warns that caller ID can be manipulated to make calls appear as though they are coming from legitimate organizations. Anyone who receives a suspicious call should hang up and contact their bank or police directly using publicly listed phone numbers.

People who believe they may have fallen victim to a similar scam are advised to contact their financial institution immediately and report the incident to police.