Northwest RCMP warn public of ongoing telephone scam in region

Despite some high profile success in recent months in shutting down some phone scammers, like dandelions in the Spring, more are sprouting up and in recent weeks seem to have made the Northwest a target for their would be scams.

A notice was posted to the Prince Rupert RCMP website on Thursday calling for awareness of the scammers, with the Prince Rupert detachment taking note of some recent attempts by the fraudsters who are impersonating representatives from Revenue Canada to attempt to defraud North Coast residents of money or personal information.

With the tax deadline having recently passed by, the prospect of more of these calls arriving would seem high, as the fraudsters take advantage of the tax season information flow.

A twist on the current scam is the use of Internet technology to 'spoof' numbers that belong to the RCMP or Revenue Canada, to the point where call displays indicate that the call has originated from one of those offices.

As they have in the past, the RCMP is reminding residents that Revenue Canada would not contact any resident by phone and any correspondence on tax matters would come by mail with accompanying information on how to contact the office.

Should you receive a phone call from anyone claiming to be from Revenue Canada, or if you have concerns about the validity of an RCMP contact by phone, you are asked to contact the Prince Rupert RCMP at 250-624-2136.

As well to report incidents of Fraud or Scams where you have not provided any personal  or financial information you are asked to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-88-495-8501.

The full release from the RCMP from Thursday can be reviewed here.

For more items related to Emergency Services in the Northwest see our archive page here.