Mission senior reports being scammed out of thousands of dollars in FBI gift-card scam: RCMP

MISSION – A senior in Mission told police he was recently scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars after being contacted by someone claiming to be from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal law enforcement agency in the United States.

In a statement from police, Mission RCMP Corporal Harrison Mohr said police were advised by a 71-year-old man in Mission claiming that he had lost $36,000 due to a scam.

Corporal Mohr said the senior received phone calls and emails from someone claiming to be from the FBI, advising him that he would receive various gifts, but that he had to send gift cards to an FBI agent in order to receive them.

“As we approach the holiday season, this is a good time to take a few minutes to talk to any potentially vulnerable people in your life about various scams, including any circumstance where a stranger directs them to purchase gift cards,” Cpl. Mohr said.