The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Anti-Rackets Branch (ARB) and Serious Fraud Office Ontario (SFO), in concert with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) have provided another awareness newsletter in this ongoing Fraud Prevention campaign. This campaign started in March to inform and educate the public on the importance of protecting yourself from being a victim of fraud. This year’s theme is impersonation, and focuses on scams where fraudsters will claim to be government officials, critical infrastructure companies, and even law enforcement officials. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre will be sharing advice through our website, Facebook and Twitter pages.
This bulletin was prepared to warn the public about an ongoing service scam that claims to be from your cellular, internet or landline service provider. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has received reports of fraudsters calling victims claiming to be from their service provider offering them a deal they cannot pass on. The fraudsters proceed to ask for the victim’s personal information including their Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Driver’s License number. In many cases, their personal information is used for identity fraud including having a cellphone ordered with their identity.
In some cases, the fraudsters will place an order for a cellphone and have it shipped to the victim’s address. Victims are then advised that the wrong cellphone was shipped and the fraudsters request that the phone be shipped to an address which, in most cases, is a logistics company’s address for further shipment or is shipped to criminals.
Warning signs – How to protect yourself
• If you receive a call from your service provider, advise them that you will call them back and end the call.
• Look up the legitimate phone number for the company and communicate with them directly by always making the outgoing call.
• Never provide personal information or banking details over the telephone unless you initiated the call.
• If you are asked to ship a cellphone, never ship it to an unknown address. If you are required to ship a cellphone, always send it to the verified address of your service provider.
• Learn more tips and tricks for protecting yourself.
Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of cybercrime or fraud should report it to their local police and to the CAFC’s online reporting system or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. If not a victim, report it to the CAFC anyway.