The Chestermere RCMP is warning the general public of fraudulent telephone calls claiming to originate from the RCMP detachment to callers into the Calgary area.
The RCMP was notified that the Chestermere detachment’s phone number was used by the callers to coerce the victims into providing personal information such as their Social Insurance Number (SIN).
Callers are also telling some of the victims that they are under investigation by the RCMP and that they will be arrested unless they transfer large amounts of money within the next few hours.
Spoofing phone numbers occurs when a caller identification (caller ID) or call display is manipulated to show trusted phone numbers.
This tricks people into answering the call and believing they are speaking with a trusted source.
The RCMP is reminding the public to not use call display as a way to authenticate who is calling.
Fraudsters may use a variety of other telephone scam tactics to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.
If you receive unsolicited calls that are coercive or threatening and claiming to be police or any other government department, don’t panic, don’t react, and please hang up.
Find the government agencies’ phone numbers through a trusted source and call the department back.
Don’t trust the phone number or email from the caller until you have verified that they are who they say they are.
Police services in Canada including the RCMP do not contact individuals via email or telephone to collect fines or money.
Don’t give out personal information on unsolicited calls such as your name, address, date of birth, SIN, or credit card information.
No legitimate government agency or business will demand payment in gift cards or prepaid credit cards. These methods are used by criminals in order to hide their activities from the police.
The best protection from scammers is to learn how to resist being pushed into a decision regardless of how persuasive or aggressive the scammer may be.
If you have received similar telephone calls or know of someone who has, please contact your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through its website at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.
