Durham police said in the past week, three local charities have reported an email-based scam trying to trick the organization’s treasurer into sending money.
In this scam, the charity’s treasurer or financial lead receives an email from someone posing as the president of the charity. The real president is not even aware this is happening, police said.
The person in position of financial responsibility is directed to purchase $500 in Google play gift cards. The context of the email is written in a manner that mirrors how the president would write. The subject is then directed to provide the electronic information from the gift card (card number with PIN) through email correspondence. The fraudster can now obtain the funds associated to the card electronically, the police explained.
In two situations, the charity uses an organizational-based email system, while the third organization uses personal emails to communicate. In one case, the gift cards were purchased before the fraud was identified. In the other two, the fraud was identified before any purchase was made. Thankfully, none of the charities lost any money, police said.
There are simple steps charities can use to protect themselves:
- On organizational websites, consider using only the first initial and surname of members of the board
- Do not post personal email addresses or personal telephone numbers
- If a fraudster gets your email address, consider closing that account after you open a new account with a completely different service provider
- Transfer your contact list from the old account to the new one and advise your contacts of the change
- You can also adopt policies that require more than one board member to approve financial transactions
- Also, consider the use of a code word between members of the board as a means of verification
If you have been victimized by a fraud of this nature, please contact D/Cst. Franssen of the DRPS Fraud Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5356. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward.
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