To celebrate his pharmacyB次元官网网址檚 25th anniversary, Joe Myers thought that he would hold a social media giveaway, but it wasnB次元官网网址檛 long before he started getting phone calls from customers saying that something wasnB次元官网网址檛 quite right.
B次元官网网址淲e opened in 1997 on April 5 and we decided weB次元官网网址檇 have a competition online B次元官网网址� which we do regularly on our Facebook pageB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� and then people share and pass it on and comment, congratulate us,B次元官网网址� Myers, who runs JoeB次元官网网址檚 Pharmacy in Campbell RiverB次元官网网址檚 Merecroft Village shopping centre said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a nice way to celebrate our 25th and gets a lot of people involved.
B次元官网网址淚t was going very well for a few days, and then yesterday we just started getting all these calls from our customers asking us if we were asking for their credit card information. We realized it was a scam,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪omeone had taken our pageB次元官网网址� in a very professional way. They copied our actual Facebook page, they copied the photos that we had of our celebration, me in 1997, the picture of our store, everything was exactly like we had it. Then they said B次元官网网址榗ongratulations you won the prize!B次元官网网址� It sounded all very legitimate, but there was an area to click on, asking people to register and give their credit card number.B次元官网网址�
JoeB次元官网网址檚 Pharmacy has since awarded the competition prize and has told followers to disregard any communications received about the competition. They have also complained to Facebook, who, according to Myers, said that the fake page did not meet the companyB次元官网网址檚 standards for it to be taken down.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just infuriating that they used our whole image and trust that we have in the community, to pull off this scam and theyB次元官网网址檝e gotten away with it,B次元官网网址� Myers said.
Myers has not reached out to the RCMP because he said the problem is likely not from Canada.
B次元官网网址淚t could be from any country in the world, itB次元官网网址檚 not a local thingB次元官网网址� these are professionals,B次元官网网址� he said.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud centre lists a Prize scam, wherein scammers contact people through social media and say that before people collect winnings they must either purchase something or give over personal information. For information on how to protect yourself, visit the .
Myers said he initially wanted to pull the businessB次元官网网址� Facebook page down, but he realizes that many customers use it for their only means of communication.
B次元官网网址淲e have to carry on with it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not going to post anything, or communicate through it. WeB次元官网网址檙e just going to receive comments and hopefully legitimate things.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a total shock, very very upsetting.B次元官网网址�
Myers wants to thank the community for the support, and is asking people who have recevied messages from the fake account to report it to Facebook.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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