While it happened in Nelson, Revelstokians should be aware of a phone scam in which the scammers number appears as the local RCMP detachment number on call display.
A press release from the Nelson RCMP are warning of fraudulent telephone calls in which the caller identifies themselves as an RCMP officer calling to collect fines or income taxes or a variety of other scam tactics.
The fraudsters are using Caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers on a caller ID display, the release notes. 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. In this case, the number that appeared on the call display was the non- emergency number for the Nelson area RCMP.
Different tactics designed to create anxiety are then utilized by the fraudsters to scam money from individuals over the phone.
“Members of the RCMP will never contact individuals for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes. These scammers are targeting people with the intent to scare them into complying with their demands.” – says A/Sgt Brett Turner.
Anyone who receives a call from someone alleging to be a police officer collecting fines or taxes should hang up immediately and contact their local police, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (Toll free 1-888-495-8501).
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