Sidney Resident Loses Almost $19,000 in Cryptocurrency Scam

A Sidney resident lost almost $19,000 in a cryptocurrency scam after receiving a phone call from a man claiming to be an RCMP officer.

The caller told the victim that his personal information had been leaked and convinced him to provide sensitive details about his cryptocurrency account. However, when the victim tried to contact the caller again, he realized he had been defrauded.

The Sidney/North Saanich RCMP has issued a warning about the scam, advising people not to give out banking passwords or cryptocurrency account credentials over the phone. The police said that they would never request such information and urged anyone receiving similar calls to hang up and contact their local police instead.