Police raise awareness around email scam

The Regina Police Service (RPS) is warning of an email scam targeting businesses in Regina.

“The scammers generally attack a business when it is making a payment transaction with another business,” a release by the police service read.

“Although the initial email correspondence is legitimate, the email transaction can be intercepted. This is when the scammer will make slight changes to email addresses and account payment information — often so subtle that they go unnoticed.”

According to the police, several local businesses have fallen victim to the scam in the past six months, getting defrauded of thousands of dollars as a result.

The RPS is telling people to consider the following tips:

• Be wary of last-minute email account address changes
• Be wary of last-minute changes to account payments (ie: instead of sending a certified cheque, please wire transfer your payment to a specific account)
• Always check the details of email addresses for subtle changes ( ie: I instead of 1)
• Before sending large sums of money, confirm the details over the phone to ensure you have accurate information.

Anyone who feels they or their business have been a victim of this scam or any other is asked to call the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500.