The Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Bankers’ Association and Ageing and Disability Services continue to remind the public to be vigilant when receiving unsolicited telephone calls, text messages or emails, which may be used to commit fraud, particularly targeting seniors.
In recent weeks BPS investigating officers have received multiple reports of residents being contacted by persons with foreign accents, who inform victims that they represent a local bank and that the reason for contact is that fraudulent activity has been identified on their account.
The victim is informed by the person pretending to be a ‘bank employee’ that a suspect has been identified and the victim’s cooperation is required to catch the offender. The victim is instructed to make an overseas wire transfer and is assured by the fraudster that all funds will be reimbursed. The fraudster has no intention of reimbursing the funds. On one occasion, a local elderly victim was defrauded of $100,000.
Seniors are especially targeted by fraudsters, particularly due to a perceived lack of familiarity with technology. The Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Bankers’ Association and Ageing and Disability Services advises all members of the public:
Resist the pressure to act quickly. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency requesting targeted victims to take immediate action.
- Never give or send any personally identifiable information to anyone you do not already know or trust
- Use anti-virus software and make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date.
- Change all your passwords regularly
- Be suspicious if asked to install any software, as fraudsters will frequently ask targeted victims to install software which can allow fraudsters complete access to your computer
- Make sure you're on a secure website before submitting banking or other sensitive information. Secure websites begin with 'https://' instead of 'http://' They'll also contain a padlock icon on the address bar
- Don’t respond to unsolicited emails requesting personal or bank account information and DO NOT click on any links embedded in unsolicited emails.
- Never open an email attachment from someone you don't know and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.
- Take precautions to protect your identity. If a criminal gains access to your device or account. Immediately contact your financial institution using contact information from publicly available sources e.g., the bank’s website and contact your financial institution and the police if you suspect your accounts to have been compromised.
Any incidents of suspected telephone or internet fraud can be reported by calling 211 or reported online via https://portal.police.bm
Advice on how to avoid and report scams can also be found at https://www.gov.bm/how-avoid-and-report-scams