Canadians won’t be able to report a fraud or fraud attempts over the phone for the time being.
According to a tweet from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), phone lines are closed and victims of fraud are being directed to the centre’s website.
Please note that our phone lines are closed. If you are a victim of fraud, contact your local police. If you've experienced an attempt, please report online at https://t.co/flbZ6uxEyH
— Canadian Anti-Fraud / En francais: @antifraudecan (@canantifraud) March 17, 2020
The announcement comes a few days after the Victoria Police Department warned the public of fraud related to coronavirus, or COVID-19, based on a bulletin from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
The bulletin says a number of COVID-19 related scams have started popping up in other countries and may spread to our communities.
Examples of scams include private companies offering quick COVID-19 tests and consumers purchasing large amounts of products – that could be expired or of low quality – and reselling them. Only hospitals are authorized to perform tests for the virus.
READ ALSO: Victoria Police Department warns of coronavirus-related fraud attempts
The CAFC warns the public to look out for high priced or low quality products. They also say to look out for unsolicited medical advisory emails with links or attachments, as fraudsters might spoof information from government and health care organizations.
Those who would like to report a fraud or fraud attempt to the CAFC are asked to do so online at services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/chooser-eng.html?ipeReferer=CAFCFRS.
