An Ontario university student got scammed out of $100K — here's how you can avoid becoming a victim

It was early September 2022 when a McMaster University student got a phone call from someone claiming to be a United Parcel Service (UPS) worker.

The supposed worker said a package from China was held by Chinese customs because it contained bank cards and passports linked to an international commerce scam.

Then, the worker handed the phone over to people claiming to be with Chinese police, who told the Hamilton student his bank card was used in the scam and he was facing charges.

For some 20 days, the student spoke via Skype with the people claiming to be police.

The student then received an