The RCMP has issued another warning to Canadians to be wary of scammers.
The latest manoeuvre comes in the form of a telephone recording by representatives claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), or an RCMP officer, and that if you don’t call and give your details you’ll face a fine, lawsuit, or potential jail time. Most of the time these calls will appear on your display as CRA or RCMP, but the callers are using spoofing apps to make that happen.
The RCMP notes, “These types of telephone scams are designed to create such shock and anxiety that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem. Be aware: the RCMP does not contact individuals for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes.”
These scammers seem to be targeting Ontario and if you are on the receiving end you can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
The CRTC is also looking “to better understand” ways to protect Canadians and recently asked Canadians for feedback on how to “reduce illegitimate caller identification (caller ID) spoofing.”
Jean-Pierre Blais, CRTC Chairman, said, “Canadians are very frustrated with telemarketers who hide their identity or misappropriate the legitimate numbers of Canadians and businesses. A significant proportion of the complaints we receive now involve some element of illegitimate caller identification spoofing. There are tools that can help Canadians protect themselves, and there may be new and innovative solutions on the horizon.”
[source] RCMP [/source]
