NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE
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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Ontario is issuing a public notice with respect to fraudulent telephone calls.
The RCMP is warning the general public of fraudulent telephone calls which appear to be coming from various RCMP detachments across Ontario. The callers impersonate a police officer on the phone, inform the victims that there is a large amount of money owing on their personal taxes, and advise them that an arrest warrant has been issued in their name. They may also ask for your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or the last three digits of your SIN, please do not provide any information. The callers then demand that a large amount of money be paid forthwith via money transfer.
The fraudsters are using Caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers appearing on a caller ID display. This popular tool allows scammers to disguise their calls, as the call will appear to be coming from local or familiar numbers to trick people into answering the phone and trusting the caller. For more information on Call ID spoofing, please check out the following link.
Be aware that these fraudsters may use a variety of other scam tactics as well. The scams are designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.
Be aware: the RCMP does not contact individuals via email or telephone for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes.
The RCMP is issuing this media advisory to warn the general public of this criminal activity. 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 their online reporting tool.
Fraud: Recognize it. Report it. Stop it. Please do your part in sharing this message with your friends and family to help us to create more awareness of this type of fraud.
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