Nova Scotia RCMP Warns of Scam Involving Fake Bank Staff and Police Officers Seeking Gold
The Nova Scotia RCMP is warning the public about a scam in which fraudsters pose as bank employees and police officers to trick victims into buying gold for supposed safekeeping. One case has been reported in the province, with similar frauds occurring elsewhere in Canada.
The Nova Scotia RCMP is warning the public about an emerging scam in which individuals pose as police officers and bank employees to obtain gold from victims. 
In this scheme, scammers first contact victims while pretending to be representatives from the fraud department of a major Canadian bank. They tell the targets that their money is at risk from foreign hackers. Victims are then instructed to use their savings and investments to purchase gold from a legitimate online dealer in Canada. After buying the gold, they are told to hand it over to a person posing as a police officer for "safekeeping."
One instance of this fraud has been reported in Nova Scotia and is currently under investigation by the RCMP Commercial Crime Section. In that case, the scammers claimed to be RCMP investigators and presented fake badges that did not match official ones. The individuals did not wear police uniforms or drive marked police vehicles when they collected the gold. Similar frauds have been reported in other parts of Canada.
The RCMP states that its officers do not take items from the public for safekeeping. Additionally, banks would never ask a customer to withdraw money from their accounts to buy assets such as gold. Cpl. Mitch Thompson advised that if anyone is unsure about a call purportedly from a bank, they should hang up before following any directions provided by the caller.
The financial impact on victims who purchase gold and hand it over to scammers can be significant. The RCMP has initiated a public awareness campaign to prevent further victimization. Anyone with information related to these scams can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.