The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Ontario is warning the public of fraudulent phone calls in which the caller claims to be an RCMP officer and informs individuals that they owe fines or income taxes. The scammer then threatens to arrest those individuals within 24 hours if they do not pay immediately.
“Be aware: the RCMP does not contact individuals for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes,” the RCMP’s announcement states. “These types of telephone scams are designed to create such shock and anxiety that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.”
What likely confuses victims of the scam is that a number for the RCMP will appear on victims’ call displays in most cases.
Anyone who has received these phone calls or knows of someone who has is being asked to contact his or her local police force as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Members of the public are also being directed to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website (www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm) to learn how to protect themselves against various fraudulent activities.