A woman from Surrey, B.C., claims to have lost $375,000 in an investment scam.
In February, Vikashni, who describes herself as a behaviour therapist, had a goal of building a school for children with autism, providing support to families in need.
She explained that a family friend had convinced her to invest money through a prior business partner to help pay for the construction.
“So, I said, ‘okay, I’ll do that,’ and I said, ‘I’m really hesitant because I don’t know Robert and the wife really well, but because I know you, I trust you,’” said Vikashni.
The friend was referring to a couple named Robert and Kim Kiyosaki. Names that also coincide with two well-known American businesspeople and authors.
Vikashni says the initial transfer was $20,000 and was assured her return on investment would be about half within two weeks.
Through a WhatsApp group chat, she says the so-called investors informed her that she had to pay $43,500 to the agents who had sold the property.
Vikashni says she thought this was strange after selling a property in recent years and knowing that the money never came out of her pocket, but rather from the profit of the sale.
She went on to say she declined and asked for her money back and by March, she hadn’t received anything.
Vikashni says that same month, her friend reached out to her saying that he invested $600,000 and it was being held due to her not paying her share of the agent fee.
Over the next few months, documents and receipts indicate Vikashni sent tens of thousands of dollars, one transfer as large as $157,000, that was flagged by the bank.
“I have nightmares. I have panic attacks. Sometimes I go to sleep and I can’t even breathe thinking about how I’m going to get my money back,” said Vikashni.
CTV News attempted to call her friend, but that number was no longer in service and on WhatsApp it kept ringing with no answer.
Attempts were also made to call the so-called investor with the number provided by Vikashni. That number, according to Verizon Mobile, has been changed.
Media relations for Robert Kiyosaki told CTV News in an email that, “this is obviously someone claiming to be him” and that “fraud and Identity theft run rampant and high-profile individuals are easy targets.”
The email went on to say, “We have no comment and support tighter controls on all types of fraud.”
The Surrey Police Service is aware of the incident involving Vikashni and says it has been reported to police. SPS explained that there is a similar pattern to what they see in a lot of scams.
Police called the tactic a “spray and prey.”
“They’re looking to cast a wide net, hoping to catch a few, in this case big fish, and ultimately put hooks into people where they’re going to give cash, usually in the pursuit of more cash,” said Ian MacDonald, a spokesperson for the SPS.
He went on to say that it falls into the category of “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” and recommends that everyone stay vigilant and conduct research if approached with an investment opportunity.
In a statement to CTV News, the Royal Bank of Canada, which Vikashni says froze a $157,000 investment, wrote that it understands fraud or a scam can be a difficult and stressful event.
“We encourage clients to contact us if they believe they have been impacted by a scam or fraud, as we investigate each instance on a case-by-case basis,” wrote the bank.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics of this situation, we can advise that we take client concerns seriously and are communicating with our client directly on this matter. “
Vikashni is calling on the bank for help to retrieve the lost and frozen cash. Although in the meantime she is hoping by telling her story it will help prevent others from being scammed.
