THE City of Abbotsford on Wednesday warned its residents of a telephone scam circulating from a phone number appearing to belong to the City.

The spoofing calls often involve alerting residents to an outstanding payment, prompting them to supply financial or other personal information over the phone.

The City said that these calls are fraudulent and do not originate from it. While the scenarios presented in spoofing calls often vary, scams like this are not uncommon, it added.

Here are some tips to help recognize and protect yourself from a phishing, imposter or telephone scam:

* Never assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate
* Don’t click on links from unsolicited messages
* Don’t download attachments from unsolicited messages
* Watch for spelling mistakes
* Don’t trust a message just because the email address looks legitimate; fraudsters can spoof the address
* Beware of messages claiming to be from the Government of Canada or a law enforcement agency; they will never contact you to offer funds via email or e-transfer
More information on protecting yourself from telemarketing and retail scams over the phone is available from Get Cyber Safe.