The Port Hardy RCMP is warning north island residents of an increase in telephone scams.
The detachment says the scams usually start with the caller claiming to be from some vague government department like “Service BC” or the “Justice Department”.
The caller proceeds to then “confirm” certain details about the person to ensure they are talking to right person and to look them up on their system.
Once the unsuspecting person gives their personal information, such as a SIN number, the caller hangs up.
If the call is ignored, many times a voicemail will be left requesting a callback or the person will be arrested.
The scammers can even “spoof” the calls, making the calls look like they are from the “Justice Department” and any other agency.
If you receive phone calls or text message scams, the RCMP says you should:
- hang up the phone right away, do not follow any prompts
- do not respond to calls or text messages from unknown or suspicious phone numbers
- do not click on any attached links as they may lead you to fake websites
- do not give out any personal or financial information
- do not respond to robocalls that prompt you to push a number to be placed on a do not call list.
The Port Hardy RCMP also says it’s important to remember that utility or phone/internet companies generally do not collect any credit card or bank account information over the phone, by email or text, so if the caller asks for it, you might be getting scammed.
For more tips to protect yourself from telephone scammers, click here.
To report a scam to the anti-fraud centre go to https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/.
