Mounties in Metro Vancouver are warning people selling expensive goods through online marketplaces that scammers posing as purchasers are filling envelopes with “worthless paper” instead of cash. The Richmond RCMP, in a statement Tuesday, said the detachment has received multiple reports of a similar fraud targeting sellers of luxury watches and collectibles. “In each case, the exchange took place in a public setting and victims believed they were receiving thousands of dollars in cash,” authorities said. “It was only after the transaction was completed that they discovered the envelopes contained a small amount of genuine currency placed on top of paper cut to resemble stacks of bills.” Over the past eleven months, the scam has cost victims a combined total of more than $22,000, according to the Richmond RCMP. “Investigators have also identified similar incidents in other Lower Mainland jurisdictions, suggesting this may be part of a broader regional trend,” the statement from police said. People selling things through online marketplaces are urged not to provide the goods until payment in full has been verified and to use designated exchange zones outside of police stations whenever feasible.
