RCMP issue warning over online fraud

CBC News

Posted: Aug 26, 2011 11:23 AM AT

Last Updated: Aug 26, 2011 11:23 AM AT

People need to be more vigilant when they sell items on online classified sites after several people have been targeted by internet scam artists, according to the RCMP.

People who were selling items on sites, such as Kijiji and eBay, were about to receive forged bank drafts and money orders in the last few months before the police intercepted those bills.

The RCMP's Commercial Crime Section and Canada Border Services seized $1.5 million worth of forged bank notes in June.

RCMP Const. Chantal MacIntosh said the criminals use the vendors to pull of their swindle.

The scam artists usually send a larger sum of money than what is asked for in the advertisement and ask the seller to send back the extra money for shipping.

"I'm a target, you're a target, everybody's a target because all they do is they come in, they spend a day on the internet looking at the recent ads that go out. You'll put the ad on the afternoon and that night you might get a response to this," MacIntosh said.

MacIntosh recommends sellers only accept payments from buyers who are willing to do business face to face.

And if the buyers are asking for money to be sent back for shipping, it's an indication of possible fraud.