Edmonton police warn of Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace fake e-transfer scam

Edmonton police are urging anyone using online platforms to sell their items to be aware of a scam that’s circulating.

The Edmonton Police Service says it has received four reports this month of Edmontonians falling victim to the e-transfer scam.

Police say a person selling an item receives an e-mail that looks like a legitimate money transfer.

“When the complainant clicks the link to deposit the funds, they are directed to a fraudulent website that looks similar to that of their bank. When they enter their username and password, the information is sent to the suspects, who then gain access to their online banking,” EPS said in a news release.

More than $6,700 of losses were recorded by the Edmonton Police from the first day of November up until the 27th.

The e-transfer scam is not also limited to just a buy-and-sell platforms, from January until August they received more than 600 reports regarding e-transfer scams with a total of 10.8 million dollars.

Detective Linda Herczeg with Edmonton Police Financial Crimes section says it has been a serious issue and it is becoming harder to track.

“Scammers are getting better and so whether they’re doing cloned websites or they’re doing pop-up screens. A lot of them look really legit and they’re getting better making them look real,” said Herczeg.

These scams typically send the buyer a link that resembles a legitimate e-transfer link and is directed to a website that looks similar to their bank, which will lead buyers to give away their bank account access to the scammers. 

“What scammers will do with websites is they’ll put www.scotia.bank.com, so what they’re doing is they’re changing it, they might not be changing the letters of the names but they might be adding a period in the middle of it and to you, your eyes sees Scotiabank,” said Herczeg.

Detective Herczeg says that if you have become a victim of an e-transfer scam, she highly encourages you to follow up with the bank before the police to ensure the account is locked down.

Police are sharing tips for people to be cautious, such as reviewing links to determine their legitimacy; checking your bank’s URL; opting for in-person payment if suspicious about a link; or setting up auto-deposit for e-transfers.

Anyone who believes they may have lost money or personal information in a similar scam is encouraged to report it to the EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.