December 6, 2022

Kingston Police wish to inform the public regarding on-going credit card scam

The Kingston Police wish to inform the public about an on-going credit card scam in which the victim is contacted via telephone by someone claiming to be a representative of a credit card company.

The victim is then informed that their credit card has been fraudulently used. The caller will often inform the victim of the date, time and place the card was used as well as the amount charged to the card, this information is fabricated by the caller.

The victim is then asked to “assist” the credit card company in catching the person who used their card. The victim is then directed to attend various businesses and purchase Pay Pal, Amazon and Mastercard gift cards amongst others. The caller remains on the line with the victim while they make these purchases and then requests that the victim provide them with the serial or identification number on the back of the card.

The caller often instructs the victim to say the cards are Christmas presents if questioned. In some cases the victim is contacted the following day by the same individuals requesting they purchase more cards.

The Kingston Police wish to remind members of the pubic that neither a credit card company nor a financial institution would ever request that a member of the public purchase gift cards on their behalf to assist with an investigation.