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By Shane Clausing

phone scam

Police warning Grande Prairie residents of new phone scam

Feb 16, 2022 | 5:14 PM

Grande Prairie RCMP are warning area residents of a phone scam going around as we head into tax season.

Mounties say they have recently received reports of a caller telling recipients they are a Service Canada agent.

The agent then tells the recipient their social insurance number has been compromised and the only way for them to give it back is by giving the agent a cash payment.

If the recipient doesn’t comply with the caller, they then threaten to take legal action.

Cst. Lindsay Ralph with the Grande Prairie RCMP says there are several ways you can protect yourself from being a victim of a scam.

“If you do receive a call with someone claiming your personal information has been compromised or there’s something wrong, you should write down the information they’re telling you and immediately disconnect the call,” she explained. “There’s no point in communicating with them or providing any information at that point.”

Cst. Ralph also adds recipients of calls should watch out for a tactic used by scammers called “spoofing.”

“Essentially what that is manipulating or altering the caller identification number that shows up on your cell phone number or home phone,” Ralph said. That way they’re trying to trick you into thinking you’re speaking with a truly legitimate source even though they’re trying to commit fraud.”

“If you want to ensure it is an authentic person calling you, the best thing to do is go online and figure out what the phone number is for Service Canada and then phoning Service Canada to see if there is an issue with your social insurance number. This goes for any government agency or any suspicious calls you get.”

According to Cst. Ralph, the best defense against a scam caller remains pushing back and disconnecting the call.

If you do receive a scam call, the RCMP suggests you report it to police, especially if you have been a victim of one.

“It’s very important to let us know if you suspect there was a fraudulent phone call received. It’s very important too to report it through the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre. If we aren’t made aware of it, we may not know it’s happening. Of course, we can then (if information is received) put out releases like this to remind people that fraud does happen, and these calls do happen.”

If you have any information about these fraudulent activities, please contact Grande Prairie RCMP at 780-830-5701 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.