He was looking for cheap car insurance in N.L. He thinks he found a 'ghost broker' instead
CBC
A St. John's man was recently shopping around for deals when his car insurance came up for renewal.
As he scanned through WhatsApp groups mainly aimed at newcomers to Newfoundland and Labrador, he came across someone advertising car insurance.
Out of curiosity, he messaged them, and they messaged back.
It was a bargain rate — about $180 a month, when other quotes he was getting, as a new driver, were nearly double that.
"My skepticism was just going all over the place," he said in a recent interview.
"I wasn't sure of the price. Although it seemed too good, I wanted it. But just from my experience, I knew there was something wrong going on."
CBC News has agreed not to identify him, because of concerns for his safety.
He had sent the supposed insurance broker personal information before he realized what was going on, and is now concerned about comments the broker made online about trying to find him — comments he perceives as threatening.
And there was a catch: a requirement to e-transfer hundreds of dollars to secure that rate.
The email address was also a telltale sign of trouble. It looked similar to a major insurance company, with just one letter in the difference.
He began sleuthing around online, and found that the domain had only been registered in January. There was a contact name and phone number, but nothing to indicate any links to a legitimate insurance company.
That led him to only one conclusion.
"It's just some random John Doe making up this stuff and trying to scam people out of money," he said.
Instead of a deal on car insurance, he is convinced he found a "ghost broker" instead.
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