#1 A stranger knocked my door

-
It was a cold winter day, though I can't remember if it was October or November. A stranger knocked on my door – his name was Corey Yurchak. He said he lived nearby. He seemed nice and talked very politely.

Corey told me he had been working with heat pump installations for a long time and knew a lot about it. He mentioned a rebate for upgrading heat pumps and asked if I was interested. My home's heating was very loud, and it got very hot in the summer, so I was definitely interested.

He said he could help me apply for the rebate. Trusting his friendly manner and knowledge, I agreed. Looking back, that was the first day I fell into the scam.


Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#4 Payment Upfront

-
Corey Yurchak continued to build my trust by providing what seemed like credible information about his previous projects. He even arranged for a real company to come and check my house. However, it turned out that this company was not related to him; he had just given me their contact information. After the house inspection was completed, I paid the energy auditing company. Next, Corey asked for an upfront deposit to purchase the necessary equipment. I agreed to transfer $4000 first due to my credit card limit. He quickly came to my house, not asking me to go to his office or meet elsewhere. He brought a Square Card reader and used it to take the first $4000 payment. Looking back, I shouldn't have thought the upfront deposit was a normal event, especially since he hadn't done anything for me yet. After searching the internet about scams, I found that asking for money upfront is a common tactic used by scammers. Home Improvement Fraud: What It Is and How to Avoid It   "If a...
Read more

What to do if you got scammed in Canada

-
Reporting to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Report online You can log into the  Online Reporting System  tool using either: GC Key (user ID/password) Government Sign-In by Verified.Me ref: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm  Reporting to local police Contact your local police department to report the scam. Most police office has an online reporting system. Example here:  VPD Reporting to Better Business Bureau No very useful but better do it. https://www.bbb.org/ Reporting to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Scammers won't be reporting all of their income which is involved in illegal activities. But that generates income which is required to be reported to the CRA, you can report this anonymously.  Online : Use the CRA's online "Leads Program" to report suspected tax evasion. You can find the form here . Phone : Call the CRA's Informant Leads Centre at 1-866-809-6841. This is a toll-free number available to receive information on...
Read more

#5 Slow Responses After Payment

-
Image
After making the upfront payment to Corey Yurchak, I noticed a change in his responsiveness. Initially, Corey was very active and frequently checked in with me about the progress, giving the impression that he wanted to start the project as soon as possible. He was eager and quick to respond to all my inquiries before the payment. However, once he received the $4000 deposit, his responses became slower. Although he still replied to my messages and emails, the urgency and enthusiasm were no longer there. Whenever I asked about the status of the heat pump installation or the rebate application, his replies were delayed, and he often reassured me that we had plenty of time, which was a stark contrast to his initial eagerness. This shift in behavior was subtle but significant. It seemed like his priority changed once he had the money, and the project’s progress stalled. Looking back, I now understand that his initial eagerness was likely a tactic to secure the payment quickly. This experie...
Read more