Police warn the public of reports of recent frauds in the city

Williams Lake RCMP have received two separate reports in as many days where individuals have been scammed out of thousands of dollars.

In each case of the victims were contacted on line from a company called High Growth Video Media (HGVM) and told they could make a lot of money. The victims provided large sums of cash, which was then converted to cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, they are not out a significant amount of money.

Police want to warn the public to be very aware of who you conduct financial transactions with. Anyone can create this sort of website and these types of crimes are almost impossible to trace said Cst Nicole Bagusch, Williams Lake RCMP.

Some tips that you may find helpful include:

• Know who you're dealing with
• Don't give out information on unsolicited calls
• Don't give out personal information
• Don't be afraid to say no
• Beware of upfront fees
• Protect your computer
• Be careful who you share images with
• Protect your online accounts

If you encounter this, or any other type of suspected scam, report it to your local police. Visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for more information on protecting yourself from frauds and how to report it.