THUNDER BAY – The number of calls from scammers pretending to represent the Canadian Government lately has really climbed. Some people are averaging two to three of the calls per day.
The scam is usually that CRA or a government agency has serious concerns over your social insurance number.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is warning the public regarding an apparent spike in phone scams targeting local numbers.
The TBPS non-emergency line has received dozens of complaints today regarding phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be representing the Government of Canada.
In a number of these cases, the fraudsters claim that some kind of issue is connected with the target’s social insurance number. The caller may request their target to take out money from their financial institution.
These callers are known to become aggressive and threatening if their target is hesitant or refuses to comply. Do not provide payment to these unsolicited callers. This is a scam!
If you are concerned the caller may be legitimate and a real issue requires your attention, please hang up and independently get a hold of the institution or agency in question. Look up the phone numbers independently and never use the number provided by the potential fraudster or the information from your Caller ID.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is unable to stop these calls from being made. If you receive a call please do not contact 911 or the non-emergency TBPS line. If you are concerned about potential scams and want to learn more please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/)
The Thunder Bay Police Service strongly encourages residents to speak with potentially vulnerable family members and friends about these ongoing scams. These fraudsters are experts at creating a sense of urgency and panic. This panic leads to quick decisions, which oftentimes leads to success for the scammer.
