The Lethbridge Police Service headquarters (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge Police advise residents of defrauding scam

Mar 20, 2020 | 9:21 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Police in Lethbridge are warning the public of a scam making the rounds.

It involves a caller impersonating a police officer.

Lethbridge Police say on March 19, a local man was contacted by telephone and advised that his social insurance number (SIN) had been used in a multi-million fraud. The caller asked the victim for his SIN to confirm it was under investigation and he provided it.

Following a brief exchange, the caller asked the man for the phone number of his local police force. The man gave the caller the non-emergency complaints line of (403) 328-4444. A short time later, he received a new call from that number, with the caller identifying himself as an LPS officer.

He told the man that he needed to send money to the Lethbridge Police Service via wire transfer as well as a quantity of Google Play cards. After providing the payment, the victim called LPS directly to ask some additional questions. He was informed that he had been defrauded.

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LPS say they will never demand cash payments, whether it be by wire transfer, gift cards or by any other means. They advise that residents should never give out personal or financial information to unsolicited callers.

Police may contact people by phone, but anyone who receives an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be an officer can confirm their identity by requesting the officer’s name and badge number, then contacting the Lethbridge Police Service directly at 403-328-4444.