(St. John’s, NL), May 12, 2023 – The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) are warning the community of an e-mail disguise scam resulting from a compromised e-mail account of a community group.

On Friday, May 12, 2023, at approximately 9:00 am, RNC Operational Patrol Services Division (OPS) responded to a Royal Canadian Legion location on Blackmarsh Road in St. John’s in connection with a report that an administrative e-mail account had been hacked. The responding officers determined that the email account of a Royal Canadian Legion administrator had been compromised, and the account was being used as a disguise by a crime network. Members of the contact list have received communication from the e-mail account requesting gift card and money transfers be sent to another e-mail provided in the communication.

The compromised administrative account of the Royal Canadian Legion is believed to have thousands of associated contacts, many of which are senior citizens, veterans, and partner agencies. The RNC is advising the community to be aware that e-mail communication requesting money transfers or gift cards are suspicious, and you should contact an associated agency directly to confirm validity. Please speak to friends and family members to remind them of the constant attempts by criminal networks to utilize cyber-crime to harm our communities.

The RNC requests that anyone with information to assist this investigation contact the RNC at 729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can now provide information anonymously on the NL Crime Stoppers Website at www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app #SayItHere

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File # 2023-23784

Cst. James. C. Cadigan  #775
Media Relations & Public Communication
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
media@rnc.gov.nl.ca