Victoria police have recovered more than $35,000 from a complicated fraud case and are trying to find more victims.
Their investigation began when a woman contacted them last spring to report she had been the victim of an online scam that involved getting her computer cleared of a virus.
The woman paid $1,400, then a few months later was contacted by the company to say the person she dealt with had been fired and her money would be returned.
With that, she followed a series of directions to get the money back. As part of the process, she was told she needed to receive and then resend the money for tax and accounting purposes.
Investigators have since determined that the fraudsters were actually laundering money from other victims. The bank put a hold on the payments.
Other victims have now been identified in Ontario, Wisconsin, New York and New Jersey, leading to the recovery of $35,000 from an account in India. Victoria investigators have since been able to return $23,000 to an Ontario victim and $12,000 to a Wisconsin victim.
Criminal charges have yet to be laid.
Anyone who has been a victim of this fraud is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654.
- Jeff Bell, Times Colonist
