Calgary police warn of extortion scam that targeted 22 Calgarians

Police are warning Calgarians of a scam that has targeted people around the world, including 22 people in the city over the last six weeks.

Three of the victims have been reported losing $4,000 total.

“Mass-marketing fraud is a crime that uses low or no-cost mass-marketing tools with a goal of defrauding the victims with a promise, story or threat,” said Staff Sergeant Geoff Gawlinski of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) Economic Crimes Unit.

“As technology advances, so do the tactics of fraudsters, as they are able to cast a wide net to reach people around the world in hopes of capitalizing on the fear and emotions of potential victims.”

The scam works with victims receiving an unsolicited text message from an international number with the scammer saying the victim owes between $500 – $8,000 for using personal services.

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According to police, if payment is not received, the scammer will send graphic and violent photos to intimidate victims into sending payment, along with threats that they or their family may be targeted or harmed.

In most cases reported to police, the suspect uses the name “Edgar Ortega Valdez” along with the phone number 562-579-8694.

CPS says extortion scams can be difficult to look into because scammers often live in different cities and countries.

However, it is still important for victims to report incidents to the police so the trends can be tracked, others can be warned, and for people to receive the necessary supports right away.

Police report common red flags of mass-marketing scams include misspelled email addresses, websites, links or spelling errors in the messages themselves.

They also say suspicious attachments or links are to be looked out for, urgent requests with threats of legal action or physical harm if demands are not followed, payment requested in the form of pre-paid gift cards, wire money transfers or other forms of non-secure payment, and requests of personal or financial information should be looked out for.

CPS encourages anyone who has been the victim of fraud to report it to police by calling the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234.

If you have received a fraudulent text message, email or phone call but haven’t lost any money, Calgarians are encouraged to report it to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre.

Calgary police are asking anyone with any information about this to call them at 403-266-1234. You can also report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.