Key City’s hundred-year-old library got looped into a 21st-century scam– and it’s hoping to help residents stay alert before they fall victim to another.
A post about a “Kids & Fun Festival” event was shared on the Cranbrook BC Facebook group using the Cranbrook Public Library’s location. The post asked prospective vendors to pay $50 for a one-day booth or $100 for both days, June 28 and 29.
There is no “Kids & Fun Festival” happening at the Library.
“Thankfully, a member of the public saw this post on the Cranbrook BC group and thought it was a little bit fishy,” said Gwen Caouette, technology trainer at the Library. “They recognized our address and called us directly to confirm, so that’s how we found out that our address was being used for this scam.”
A deeper investigation revealed similar posts in multiple different communities.
“They used the same wording, the same kind of idea, and they were all posted by fairly new accounts that only had one picture or so on them.”
You can train your own eagle eye to spot these scams in an upcoming event at the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) office. The bi-annual Scam Safety Workshop will cover a range of social media and email scams to protect residents from online fraud. Anyone needing additional help can also head directly to the Library.
“I’m the technology trainer, so people can basically book an appointment at any time of the year if they have questions about it or would like help securing their devices,” Caouette added.
The workshop is set to start at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 23. The CBAL Cranbrook office is located at 19a 9th Avenue South, just below our station’s office.
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