Police in the BC Interior have warned residents to be cautious online after a woman lost $4,500 to a job ad scam.
Salmon Arm RCMP said the woman responded to a listing in a Facebook group earlier this month before being messaged on WhatsApp, another Meta product, by an Ontario number.
She was then walked through the process of buying a cryptocurrency account before transferring $4,500 in Bitcoin to the criminal.
The fraudster attempted to get her to send another $5,500, but she refused.
“Salmon Arm RCMP advise using extra caution when using applications such as Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji, and online group forums that are advertising employment, services, or used items at rates that appear too good to be true,” Mounties warned in a public notice.
“Police also highly discourage sending money to anyone you have not met in person, unless it is money you are willing to risk losing.”
