The Thunder Bay Police Service is receiving a high volume of complaints about ongoing phone scams.
A significant number of complaints are now being made directly to 911. Police want to remind the public that calling 911 is for ongoing emergencies only. The public is urged NOT to call 911 to complain about potential ongoing phone scams.
Calling 911 to complain about these scams, and other non-emergencies, could delay dispatch from providing critical service to someone in a real emergency situation.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is unable to stop these calls from being made. If you are concerned about potential scams and want to learn more please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/)
Complaints being received indicate these phone scams are targeting a significant number of local phone numbers. The scammers contact their targets impersonating an officer. They provide a name and a badge number before letting them know they owe a significant sum of money.
While the exact details of these kinds of scams may alter slightly, they are very much the same as ongoing Canada Revenue phone scams.
Would-be victims are told about a warrant out for their arrest. In an effort to make themselves appear authentic the person impersonating a police officer will recite the last three digits of the target’s social insurance number.
The amounts of money the fraudsters are telling victims they owe sometimes exceed $5,000.
These would-be fraudsters are experts at creating a sense of urgency and panic. This panic leads to quick decisions, which oftentimes leads to success for the scammer.
The Thunder Bay Police Service would like to urge the public to have a conversation with friends and family who are more vulnerable and possibly most at risk to these attacks. The elderly and foreign students, who may have limited understanding about Canadian laws, are sometimes more aggressively targeted.
The Thunder Bay Police Service would also like to remind the public to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre if they have any further concerns about these scams. Please do NOT call 911.