The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is warning the general public of fraudulent telephone calls claiming to originate from the RCMP detachment in London, Ontario.
The RCMP was notified that the London detachment’s phone number was “spoofed” and used by the callers to coerce the victims into providing personal information such as their Social Insurance Number (SIN). These callers are also telling some of the victims that they are under investigation by the RCMP and that they will be arrested, unless they transfer large amounts of money within the next few hours.
Spoofing occurs when a caller identification (caller ID) or call display are manipulated to show trusted phone numbers. This tricks people into answering the call and believing they are speaking with a trusted source1. Do not use call display as a way to authenticate who is calling. Fraudsters may use a variety of other telephone scam tactics as well. The scams are designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.
If you receive unsolicited calls that are coercive or threatening and claiming to be police or any other government department, don’t panic don’t react, hang up. Police services in Canada including the RCMP do not contact individuals via email or telephone for the purpose of collecting fines or money. Don’t give out personal information on unsolicited calls such as your name, address, date of birth SIN or credit card information.
The RCMP is issuing this media advisory to warn the general public of this activity. If you have received similar telephones calls or know of someone who has, please contact your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or through its website.