New Facebook Marketplace scam hits Okanagan and beyond

A new scam targeting Facebook Marketplace sellers is draining bank accounts of victims in the Okanagan and beyond. The new digital age of buy and sell comes with a string of risks attached, including falling victim to con artists.  This new scam deals with fraudsters offering full price for an item being sold on Facebook Marketplace to make the offer seem desirable and legitimate, according to an RCMP media release issued, Aug. 21. The scammer then tells the seller an e-transfer has been sent containing the digital funds in exchange for the item. The scammer tells the seller an email should appear in the seller’s inbox to complete the transfer. This email contains a link to a bank webpage that appears real, leading the seller to enter their bank information and a phone number to receive a verification code to deposit the money. The seller then enters the verification code, sent through text, which gives the scammer access to the sellers’ bank account. The scammer is then able to access the bank account and withdraw money. “This is an extremely sophisticated scam that is a variation of the one-time passcode scam,” Kelowna RCMP officer Sgt. Laura Pollock said in the release. “We encourage you to make your marketplace exchanges in public locations with security cameras.” Residents are advised to contact their local police if they think they've been scammed. For more information and to report scams go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm . To contact a reporter for this story, email Bailey Zimmer mailto:bzimmer@infonews.ca  or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .