NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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Members of the Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind the public that "phone scams" are not a thing of the past.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 police were informed of a recent phone scam incident. Police are hoping that informing the public will help reduce further scams.
What's been happening and what you should be aware of:
- Phone call from someone pretending to work for the government
- Scammer says that your Social Insurance Number has been compromised
- Asks you who your local police service is
- Tells you that your bank accounts are at risk and money needs to be secured in a Bitcoin account
- Tells you that police will call you back and that you should cooperate
- Uses a "spoofing" technique that allows them to call from a number that they select
- Phone call back from who you believe is your local police service
- Provides an address for you to deposit funds into a bitcoin machine
How to protect yourself:
- If something doesn't seem right hang up
- Call your local police service and meet with an officer
- Police will never ask you to secure funds in bitcoin machines
- Police will never ask for funds or give you instructions on how or where to deposit funds
- Often times, there will be a request not to tell anyone, to keep it a secret to avoid further trouble
- Request for gift cards or crypto-currency
- Urgent request for action or information
- Request for banking information
How spoofing works:
- Phone Number Spoofing allows scam artists to trick caller-IDs into displaying false information.
- By spoofing local phone numbers or information into called ID devices, scammers hope to entice the recipient to answer a call they would otherwise decline.
If you or someone you know may have been a victim of an emergency scam, contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). You can also report fraud through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll-free at 1-888-495-8501 or antifraudcentre.ca
Learn more about ongoing scams in Canada with the Little Black Book of Scams: https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/04333.html.
FRAUD...Recognize it...Report it...Stop it.
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