Scam artists are allegedly posing as federal banking regulators in an effort to gain access to confidential information.
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has posted a warning on its website indicating that it has, “become aware of individuals purporting to be OSFI employees who contact financial institutions or individuals in an attempt to obtain information under fraudulent pretences.”
OSFI stresses that it does not request personal or confidential information by phone, email or fax, and it encourages anyone contacted this way to report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which is a joint partnership between the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“They are interested in receiving any new information regarding scams, particularly those involving Canadian mailing addresses or telephone numbers. This intelligence information is used to assist in the strategic targeting of would-be fraudsters,” the note says.
Information regarding scams should be forwarded to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as follows at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/english/home-eng.html.
Earlier this month the Ontario Securities Commission laid quasi-criminal charges in a case involving an alleged advance fee scam, in which it says that the perpetrators were impersonating securities regulators to convince investors to pay fees to sell their illiquid securities at a premium.