RCMP in Valleyview is warning the public about a serious uptick in phone scams in the region.
Police say on July 7th alone, they received 40 reports from Valleyview and area residents getting calls from fraudsters suggesting their social security numbers are being used for drug activity in Toronto. The suspects are then asking the victims to press a number to speak with an investigator.
Mounties say the callers are high pressure and the likely goal is for the suspects to get personal and banking information from the victims.
Police have also released a few tips for people to remember if they think they’re on the phone with a potential scammer.
- If you receive a call from someone claiming your personal information has been compromised, take note of the information from them and disconnect from the call.
- Do not share any personal information with the caller, such as confirm name, social insurance number, address.
- If you have legitimate concerns regarding your personal information being compromised, find the government agencies’ phone number through a trusted source (official website) and contact the government agency directly.
- 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.
Anyone who thinks they may have been targeted is urged to call police, and report their incident to Canada’s Anti-Fraud Centre