A Wingham resident says his caller ID showed the phone number of the local Huron OPP detachment when he was contacted by scammers.
The OPP are asking citizens to be on high alert if they received a call from someone purporting to work for the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada or the police. Police said you will know its a scam if they start to ask for personal information and/or banking information
Recently scammers have contacted some Huron County residents claiming that some sort of allegations has been linked to their SIN or income tax return, and threatening arrest.
If the victim calls back they will be threatened further with arrest, detention, deportation etc. before the scammer offers to "settle the matter" with a payment. These payments usually come via prepaid credit cards, iTunes gift cards, money transfers or Bitcoin.
A Wingham resident received an initial call from someone pretending to work with the CRA, his call was then transferred and he was put on the phone with someone that claimed to be an officer with Huron County OPP. The suspect was advised he owed money and the police were going to attend his residence with an arrest warrant unless he paid. The victim also reported his caller ID was displaying the phone number for the local Huron OPP detachment.
Residents should be reminded to not trust call display readings, as scammers can use call spoofing to claim to be calling from a number that is not actually theirs. It may look like the call is coming from a local police detachment when in fact it is originating somewhere across the world.
Anytime someone calls claiming to represent a government agency and is seeking personal information or banking information it is best to hang up the phone. If you are unsure whether the call is legitimate or not simply look up the agency's phone number and call it directly to verify any claims.
The following link to the Canada Revenue Agency website will assist in recognizing this scam and other trending scams. For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.
