Brantford Police Service is reminding residents to remain vigilant against fraud after receiving reports of fraudulent credit card transactions.
A report was received from a local resident who was alerted to multiple fraudulent charges after receiving a series of deceptive emails that appeared designed to distract her from a legitimate fraud notification. The card was later confirmed to have been used in another province to purchase a carton of milk, a video game console, and a laptop.
Fraudsters often use small purchases to test whether a stolen credit card is active before moving on to larger transactions. In this case, the emails sent to the victim were intended to mask the real financial alerts, making the fraud harder to detect.
“Fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to deceive the public,” said Robin Matthews-Osmond, Corporate Communications Manager for the Brantford Police Service. “Taking proactive steps to monitor your accounts and secure your information is one of the best ways to protect yourself.”
The Brantford Police Service encourages all residents to take the following steps to protect themselves:
- Check your credit card and bank statements regularly for unfamiliar charges.
- Report irregularities immediately to your financial institution.
- Update your passwords often and use strong, unique passwords for your accounts.
- Consider services such as Equifax or other credit monitoring tools to watch for signs of identity theft.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud is encouraged to report it to police by calling the BPS non-emergency line at 519-756-7050.
