There are many types of scam phone calls which involve fraudsters attempting to pass themselves off as someone in authority, such as a police officer or an employee of a business, financial institution or government agency.
Recognize
- Unsolicited scam calls use urgent or threatening language; callers ask for personal information and demand payment by e-transfer, pre-paid credit cards, gift cards or online currency. If you are asked to pay a fine using any of these payment methods, it is a scam.
- Caller ID spoofing is when fraudsters use software to change their display name or phone number.
- Remember that the police, a bank, or the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will never call you and ask for personal information such as: Social Insurance Number, passport, health card or driver's license.
- Some prevalent phone scams include: the CRA Scam where fraudsters pretend to be an employee of the CRA and pressure you to make a payment on a fictitious tax debt by threatening you with an arrest warrant. The police impersonation scam is where fraudsters claim to be a police officer or a Canadian Border Services (CBSA) officer and will request a sum of money in exchange for criminal charges being waived.
Report
- Report the scam call to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or call them at 1-888-495-8501.
- Contact your local police to report the call.
- If you have given payment over the phone and believe you are a victim of fraud, contact your financial institution and credit bureau to have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports: Equifax 1-800-465-7166 and TransUnion 1-877-525-3823.
Protect
- When in doubt, hang up immediately. Call the organization (police, CRA, CBSA, etc.) yourself using publically accessible contact information.
- Never send money or provide personal/banking information over the phone to someone you do not know.
- Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate.
- Talk to friends and family who may be vulnerable to phone scams so they are aware of the tactics being used by scammers.
- Change your personal passwords regularly.
- Block your phone from receiving phone calls from 'unknown callers'.
Other Resources:
- For more information as well as tips to avoid current frauds and scams, visit the Competition Bureau, Interac and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre websites.
- Download The Little Black Book of Scams (available in English, French, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog).
Contact information
Yukon RCMP - Communications
mdiv.communications@rcmp-grc.gc.ca