TL;DR: On August 11, 2026, the RCMP's Sunshine Coast detachment warned of a scam in which a Sechelt resident lost C$108,000. A spoofed call appeared to come from the Vancouver Police Department, with a caller posing as its chief constable, followed by a WhatsApp call from a fake bank employee. The victim sent two transfers, C$70,000 and C$38,000.

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What happened

The RCMP Sunshine Coast detachment alert, titled 'RCMP will never ask you for your banking information', says the victim received a call from a spoofed number displaying the Vancouver Police Department non-emergency line. The caller posed as the Vancouver Police Chief Constable and said police were investigating a financial institution.

A follow-up WhatsApp call came from someone posing as a bank employee, who told the resident to make email money transfers. The victim sent two, C$70,000 and C$38,000.

Why it works

Caller ID can be manipulated, so a number that looks official proves nothing. The scam also stacks two trusted voices, police and bank, so each seems to confirm the other.

The RCMP release does not say whether any of the money has been recovered.

What the RCMP says

If you have already sent money

Call your bank at once and ask to stop or recall the transfers, then contact your local police on their non-emergency line and file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Our guides on bank impersonation scams in Canada and a fake bank investigator scam in Guelph describe near-identical scripts, how to reverse a wire transfer scam explains why speed matters, and how to protect elderly parents from phone scams helps you brief relatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much was lost in the Sechelt scam?

C$108,000, sent as two email money transfers of C$70,000 and C$38,000, according to the RCMP alert of August 11, 2026.

How did the scammers seem credible?

They used a spoofed number showing the Vancouver Police Department non-emergency line and followed up with a WhatsApp call from someone posing as a bank employee.

Will police ever ask me to transfer money?

No. The RCMP says police officers will never ask the public to help criminal investigations by transferring money or depositing funds into cryptocurrency accounts.

What should I do if I get a call like this?

Hang up and call your bank or police on a number you look up yourself, then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Sources

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