RICHMOND RCMP are warning the public after two residents reported suspicious phone calls in a single day from individuals claiming to represent a telecom provider and foreign police.
On October 14, police received two reports regarding a potential scam involving potential theft of identity. In both cases, the victims were told their accounts had been compromised and were allegedly linked to a criminal investigation. The caller claimed to be from a telecom company and then transferred the victims to another individual who identified themselves as a member of a foreign police agency.
The victims were asked to provide detailed personal information, including their bank account details, employment information, and government identification.
“If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately,” says Cpl. Denise Kam, Richmond RCMP Economic Crime Unit. “This type of scam is typically used to gather personal information which could be used for identity theft or to re-target the same victims later. Anyone who believes they may have provided information to a scammer should report it to police and contact their financial institution and credit monitoring bureau to flag their accounts.”
Richmond RCMP encourages anyone who has received similar calls to:
- Report the incident to local police.
- If banking information was provided immediately change passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
- Contact their financial institution and credit bureau to flag their information.
- Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Richmond RCMP encourages residents to regularly visit the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre website for the most up-to-date information on fraud trends impacting Canadians.
