Merritt RCMP reminding residents about scammers

MERRITT – Scams seem to be on the rise in the Nicola Valley, with RCMP warning about new ones being used as well.

Over the past couple of weeks, Merritt RCMP said they have been dealing with a scam that involves scammers texting and calling random victims accusing them of attempting to hire prostitutes and demanding large sums of money from them. The scammers continue on by threatening that the “cartel” will kill the victims if they do not comply and in some cases have sent photographs of firearms and severed human body parts in text messages.

According to police, the scammers did not know the victims names or locations and it was clearly a random act to illicit money from them.

“We want to urge the public to immediately block the phone number if an incident like this happens to you,” says Cst. Ed Query, with Merritt RCMP General Duty. “Please do not send money in any form, whether that be Electronic Money Transfer (EMT), gift cards, cheques, or money orders. If you ever feel you need to send money to clear a debt or avoid arrest, please call your local police and seek clarification first.”

If any resident believes they have fallen victim to a scammer, please contact Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262.