RCMP warns of life-insurance scam
Police advise people to be aware of new fraud scheme making rounds in New Brunswick
New Brunswickers are being targeted with a new fraud scheme involving phoney life-insurance policies, the RCMP warned Tuesday.
The New Brunswick RCMP issued a news release Tuesday advising the public of a new scam making the rounds in the province.
“Police believe that the scammers obtain information from obituaries, and a few months later, contact a family member of the deceased to notify them of a life-insurance policy payout,” the release said.
“In many cases, the scammers identify themselves by a common first name and a well-known life insurance company and inform the relative that they are the beneficiary.”
The RCMP said the scammer uses personal details from obituaries to glean more personal information from the target, and then uses that new information to commit frauds.
“For example, a scammer can create fake identity documents and apply for credit using someone else's name and personal banking information, and disappear with the money,” the release said.
New Brunswick RCMP spokesperson Matt LeBlanc-Smith said the fraudsters use the emotionally charged situation of the loss of a loved one to convince people to share sensitive information.
"Please be cautious about providing any financial or personal details over the phone before confirming that it is a legitimate request from an authorized entity,” he said in the release.
“One way to do this is to hang up, and call the company directly.”
The RCMP urged people to report any such contacts or frauds to their local policing agencies.
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