For example, there was a case (maybe more than one case) where someone returned from vacation and discovered someone sold his house.

We, on this forum, may be smart(ish) and cognitively ok now, but who knows what the future may bring.  

Your best guarantee is to raise intellgent children who love you and will always look after your best interest.

CGO said
And then there's the guy that made numerous transfers against his bank's advice to some scheme. eventually adding up to $450k.

The reason we don't hear much about Darwin awards is that there are too many deserving recipients ...  

In the real world the winners of the Darwin award usually die in a car crash, drown, overdose on drugs/alcohol and/or get killed by a mad animal/human.

In the financial world the victim usually lose all their money the first time so they don't have the misfortune of losing their money again.

There are very few repeat winners of the Darwin Award. They usually die and/or lose all their money the first time.

I work in IT. I understand many of the risks, and like many of you, am super diligent. Yet one day, about a year ago, I almost succumbed to a scam, mostly due to a confluence of circumstances that simply caught me off guard, with a momentary lapse in judgment, in spite of my extensive knowledge. Thankfully, caught it in time, this time.

And there have been some even more sophisticated than me that have reported in the media how they have been duped, with seemingly not that sophisticated a scam.
It is arrogant to believe that diligence and knowledge alone are sufficient.

Though, as you pointed out, there are many many more that simply do not have the skill, insight, cognitive ability, experience, etc, etc, to be aware enough. Those are the ones that tend to be the easiest victims.

Yet, there but by the grace of God go I.

Included in this demographic are elderly people who have resisted (often stubbornly but sometimes from cognitive decline) becoming familiar with safe online practices and how to prevent and/or recognize threats from current scam scenarios.

Then there are new Canadians, who may have come from places where technology and other conveniences we take for granted have not been available and the ease of access in Canada, bolstered by the marketing strategies of financial institutions targeting new Canadians, largely naive to security practices. become potential targets.

Added to this demographic would be anyone who fails to become informed about the threats of any technology before engaging with it. Every business and financial institution has a app for the phone to make access so e-a-s-y but reading and learning about threat scenarios is not glamorous reading material.

The proliferation of cell phone technology and the trend to direct more and more access to financial transactions to cell phones using the same cell phone number for contact and two factor authentication, along with caller ID spoofing can make the most diligent consumer vulnerable.

How can one differentiate from a legitimate call or text asking for authentication from a fraudulent call?

Naivete, being uninformed about common fraudulent tactics, and allowing oneself to act impulsively when influenced by pressure tactics from the perpetrator are likely the factors that result in these crimes.

The perpetrators have had decades of practice and have perfected their skills making naive individuals easy targets.

Stephen

AltaRed said
Of course being duped into believing the police is sending a courier is gross negligence! Why would anyone think that is anything remotely legitimate? We have really dumbed down our species if this cannot be seen for what it is.  

It might be more believable if the perpetrator actually drove a former RCMP cruiser and wore a fake uniform, like that nut-job mass murderer did in Nova Scotia.

itsme said
It isn't gross negligence to be duped into believing the police is sending a courier, what is gross negligence is going to a cafe shop and using public wifi to log into your bank account, then leaving your laptop unattended while you get some more cream for your coffee.  

I counted 8 red flags in total, but let's just go through the highlights:

1. Why would a bank want your card vs simply cancel it?
2. Why would police get involved in an attempted Edmonton purchase?
3. Why would police send a courier? Why not have him bring it to a police station?
4. Why was a courier dispatched to his work site?
5. Why surrender an active bank card to an unidentified person?

People who think ignoring obvious red flags is normal behaviour shouldn’t have bank cards for their own financial safety, or at least ask the bank to set very low transaction limit.

If it is reasonable to believe that if someone 'should know better', they ultimately bear the responsibility.

I'm no expert but my understanding of gross negligence with regard to financial matters is that there was a obvious red flag but you acted as if there wasn't. Something like that.

itsme said
It isn't gross negligence to be duped into believing the police is sending a courier, what is gross negligence is going to a cafe shop and using public wifi to log into your bank account, then leaving your laptop unattended while you get some more cream for your coffee.  

So, you're saying you would have handed over your bank card to the courier? Your example of the cafe is absurd, but I'll have some of what you're smoking.

mordko said
No bank will turn up at your door to collect your bank card. Just an fyi.  

It isn't gross negligence to be duped into believing the police is sending a courier, what is gross negligence is going to a cafe shop and using public wifi to log into your bank account, then leaving your laptop unattended while you get some more cream for your coffee.

itsme said
I don't think they were grossly negligent, especially when real banks phone you or email you out of the blue it's easy to get confused as to who's legit and who isn't.

My bank once sent me an email telling me to click on the link in it to verify the transaction that occurred when I was at the branch. The bank person told me I was going to get the email and to ignore it. Why do banks do this sort of stuff and blurred the lines making it harder to tell what's real and what's not???  

I've had the same stupid offers come from my real bank, too. When real banks act the same way as scambanks, it's very difficult to differentiate between the two.

itsme said
I don't think they were grossly negligent, especially when real banks phone you or email you out of the blue it's easy to get confused as to who's legit and who isn't.

No bank will turn up at your door to collect your bank card. Just an fyi.