Niagara police are warning residents about a new scam.
As part of the scam, victims receive phone calls from fraudsters claiming to represent their bank.
The imposter tells the victim that it looks like there's fraudulent activity on their account, and the person is asked to allow the scammer access to their computer so they can review their bank records.
If the victim does grant remote access, they're asked to install programs like Team Viewer and Ultra Viewer onto their computer.
The fraudster then asks the victim for money in exchange for looking for the 'suspect' that made purchases on their account, telling them the amount needs to be purchased through gift cards.
The victim is asked to scratch the back of the cards and send the information on the back of the card so the funds can be used without the actual card.
Police say you should never buy gift cards as a form of payment, and you should ignore any phone calls, emails or text messages you receive asking you to buy gift cards.
As well, scammers are able to "spoof" your number on the caller ID so that it looks like your bank, police, or Canada Revenue Agency is calling you when that's not the case.
If you've lost money due to a scam, you can call the Niagara Regional Police Service non-emergency number at 905-688-4111, dial option 2 and ask for dispatch to file a report.
Anyone who received a call like this can report it to Phonebusters at 1-888-495-8501 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here.
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