(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Taber RCMP’s phone number was used to scam people, detachment warns

Sep 24, 2021 | 12:34 PM

TABER, AB – Members of the public are being advised of fraudulent callers claiming to with law enforcement agencies.

Taber RCMP have been notified that the detachment’s phone number was “spoofed” and used by the callers to coerce victims into providing personal information such as their Social Insurance Numbers.

Some were told that they are under investigation by the RCMP and would be arrested unless they transferred large amounts of money in the next few hours.

“Spoofing occurs when a caller identification (caller ID) or call display are manipulated to show trusted phone numbers,” reads a media release from Taber RCMP. “This tricks people into answering the call and believing they are speaking with a trusted source. Do not use call display as a way to authenticate who is calling. Fraudsters may use a variety of other telephone scam tactics to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.”

The detachment provided the following points to remember:

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• No legitimate government agency or business will demand payment in gift cards or prepaid credit cards. These methods are used by criminals in order to hide their activities from police
• If you receive a call from someone claiming you owe money, get as much information from them as possible and tell them you will call them back
• Find the government agencies’ phone number through a trusted source (phonebook or official website) and call the department back. Don’t trust the phone number or email from the caller until you have verified that they are who they say they are
• Do not share any personal information with the caller, such as your name, social insurance number, address, etc. The best protection from scammers is to learn how to resist being pushed into a decision regardless of how persuasive or aggressive the scammer may be

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam or have given out personal or financial information in error, contact your local police service and financial institution.

Protect yourself and the vulnerable people in your life by learning how to recognize fraud at Canada’s Anti-Fraud Centre (www.AntiFraudCentre.ca) and the Canadian Revenue Service (www.CRA.gc.ca).