–From the Victoria Police

Financial Crime Unit detectives are warning the public after another scam has started appearing in our community.

This week, patrol officers were called after a Victoria resident received an email from a person claiming to be a VicPD officer.  The email stated that there was an investigation into the death of the woman’s husband and that if she did not reply, “an investigation including charges may be laid against you.”

The email was attempting to elicit personal information which officers believe would be used fraudulently.

It is believed that the woman’s name was obtained from a recent obituary.

While these investigations are hard to conduct due to the global reach of online scams, if you receive an email from a person claiming to be a Victoria police officer and you aren’t expecting such an email, call them at 250-995-7654 to confirm the credentials and to speak to the officer on the phone.

Also,  never open attachments which you aren’t expecting or don’t know the sender.

Find your local RCMP detachment (if applicable) here.