Dolores Brommell thought she was doing a good deed when a man claiming to be a bank employee told her RCMP needed her help in an undercover sting to catch the ringleader of a con.
However, the Lorette senior was unknowingly being lured into a gift card scam which ended with her losing more than $50,000.
“It sounded very legitimate. They were very persuasive,” the 71-year-old said. “I thought I was helping out.”
The Winnipeg Police Service’s financial crimes unit, which is investigating the fraud, has had an increase in reports of gift card scams, said spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon.
The scam usually involves a cold call and often targets older adults.
Brommell was targeted when a scammer claiming to be a Royal Bank of Canada employee called her July 12.
Dolores Brommell, 71, in her Lorette home with gift cards she bought as part of a scam which saw her conned out of more than $50,000.
During a series of conversations, she was instructed to buy prepaid credit cards and gift cards — more than 100 in total — using her bank card and cash from ATM withdrawals as part of the undercover operation.
The scammers then asked for the gift card numbers and PINs to use the money loaded onto them.
After being told she would be reimbursed, the con artists remotely took control of Brommell’s computer and showed her fake bank statements to further the scheme.
They told her to keep the undercover sting a secret from her…
