The OPP says fraudsters target victims of all ages.
Police say on August 28th, an 18-year-old from Renfrew County received a call from an Ottawa area phone number from someone claiming to be a Service Canada employee.
The victim was threatened with arrest and the fraudster says their SIN number was compromised and used in a credit card fraud.
Police say the victim was instructed to remove funds from their bank and travel by taxi to a commercial location in Ottawa to convert their funds into cryptocurrency. The victim subsequently converted their cash at a cryptocurrency ATM and sent multiple QR code receipts to the fraudsters via text message.
The OPP says criminals pretend to call from various government agencies, police services and various court houses. The fraudsters will spoof legitimate phone numbers of these agencies on your caller ID and will remain on the phone throughout the fraud.
Protect yourself:
- No government agency will contact you and tell you that your SIN is compromised or demand cryptocurrency as payment to prevent enforcement.
- Criminals use “call-spoofing” to mislead victims. This technology is easily available. Do not assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate.
- Never provide personal information over the phone to an unknown caller.
- If you have provided personal information, contact Equifax and Trans Union to place fraud alerts on your accounts.
The best defence is to hang up!
If you become a victim this type of fraud, contact your local police service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 (toll free) or report online at www.antifraudcentre.ca. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or report the incident online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.