WINNIPEG - Beware of scam calls from police. RCMP said the calls appear to be coming from the RCMP and they are warning the public. The callers are told there is a warrant for their arrest and that they can take care of the warrant by making a payment via bitcoin or money transfer.
Police say the fraudsters are using Caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers appearing on a caller ID display. Scammers can use this to disguise their actual numbers, as the call will appear to be coming from local or familiar number to trick people into answering and trusting the caller.
Police issued this warning because the number displayed is a valid RCMP phone number.
"We've been made aware of this incident occurring a number of times this past week in Manitoba. The scam is designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem," said Cpl. Julie Courchaine of the Manitoba RCMP. "We want to remind the public that the RCMP would never contact individuals through email or telephone to request payment or monetary transfers."
If you have received similar telephones calls or know of someone who has, please contact your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through their online reporting tool.
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