Police are warning Canadians of a new type of scam that keeps scammers connected to their victims even after they have hung up, as reported by the CBC.
The scammers use line-trapping technology that allows them to trick their victims and stay connected to their phones, according to police. It is currently unclear how exactly this technology works. It is also unclear if all kinds of lines can be trapped, such as a landline or a cellular device.
A woman in Kingston, Ontario fell victim to this scam after she received a call from someone posing as a police officer and told her that she was the victim of identity theft. She was told to call local police to verify the details.
However, once she hung up the phone, the fraudsters were still connected to the line. When she believed she was talking to her local police station, she was actually still talking to the fraudsters, as they were able to remain on the line despite the fact that she hung up.
“The victim in this incident had both money and personal information stolen as a result of this scam,” Kingston police said in a press release.
“This recent report of line-trapping technology appears to be a new scam being orchestrated by the scammers and Kingston police are reminding citizens to be cautious when dealing with calls or emails requesting personal information.”
Kingston police say they believe that the line-trapping technology has a time limit of a few minutes. They are informing Canadians that they should never feel that they are being forced to provide information or payment over the phone.
Source: CBC, Kingston Police Service
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