The Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB) is warning New Brunswickers about a job scam and unregistered investment activity being attempted by www.rna-canada.com, an entity operating in a manner that leads New Brunswickers to believe it is affiliated with an existing federally incorporated company RNA-Investments Ltd.
FCNB recently became aware of the website www.rna-canada.com, which claims to have an office in Fredericton at 77 Westmorland St., and which claims to be associated with the registered business number of RNA Investments Ltd, a company with an actual presence in New Brunswick. RNA Investments Ltd. was incorporated federally in 2017.
Complainants to FCNB have received unsolicited job offers through social media and employment websites from an individual claiming to represent www.rna-canada.com. The individuals contacted have been offered employment with no interview or reference checks and have been asked to provide personal and financial information. Typically, in this type of scam, the fraudster tries various tactics to gain access to personal or financial information for the purposes of identity theft or financial fraud. New Brunswickers should be extremely cautious of any unsolicited job offers, offers of employment that don’t involve a job interview, or suspicious requests for personal or financial information.
The www.rna-canada.com website also purports to be an investment management company offering a full range of services in cryptocurrency, FOREX trading, stocks and commodities and investment consultancy. The website advertises a variety of investment packages, including referral bonuses and unrealistically high weekly returns, and guarantees the safety of investor’s funds. FCNB is warning New Brunswickers that www.rna-canada.com is not registered to trade or advise in securities or derivatives in the province.
FCNB staff have spoken with the director of RNA Investments Ltd. who has indicated there is no association between RNA Investments Ltd. and www.rna-canada.com. FCNB has no reason to believe that RNA Investments Ltd. or its director are involved with the job scam targeting New Brunswickers or the website www.rna-canada.com.
Further red flags on www.rna-canada.com that might indicate that its not a legitimate entity include:
- The map on the “contact us” page appears with Russian text.
- The address listed on their website is 77 Westmorland St., Fredericton, but they do not appear to be a tenant at that address.
- Numerous spelling and grammar errors and broken links throughout the site
- Little to no material information on the site. The site does not provide information about who runs the company or the company history and, there is no disclosure information or details about the investment packages being offered.
New Brunswickers who believe they are a victim of or have been approached by this scam or www.rna-canada.com should contact FCNB and their local police or RCMP.
FCNB provides the following tips and red flags to help New Brunswickers recognize and avoid falling for an investment or job scam:
- Protect your personal and financial information: Never agree to send or receive money through your personal bank account. A business will not ask you to use a personal bank account for business purposes.
- Don’t respond to unexpected email or text message offering employment: Scammers use legitimate job posting websites to seek out victims.
- Do some research: A simple internet search for the name of the company with the words “scam” or “fraud” can bring up any previous issues that others may have had.
- Ace the interview: Be wary if you are offered a job without having to do an interview, or the interview consists only of a few emails. A legitimate job offer will often require an interview and a reference check.
- Check the sender’s email address: If the recruiter at the “company” uses a web-based email address to conduct business, it’s likely fake.
- Ignore promises of “guaranteed” high returns with little or no risk: Generally, the higher the return, the higher the level of risk.
- Check registration: Before working with any adviser or investment firm, find out if they are registered. You can check registration by calling FCNB or using the free online National Registration Search Tool from the Canadian Securities Administrators.
- Get an independent, professional second opinion: Take some time to consult with a person who is not participating in the investment, such as a lawyer, accountant or investment professional before investing. Don’t invest unless you’ve had time to fully consider and understand the investment, and you understand and are comfortable with the risks involved.