Police in Nanaimo are sharing a Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warning about phone scams.
A press release from Nanaimo RCMP noted that fraudsters are calling people and telling them that their social insurance number has been linked to fraudulent or criminal activity.
“Never provide personal information to anyone that you do not know. Simply hang up,” Nanaimo RCMP recommend.
The anti-fraud centre warned in a bulletin that in addition to asking for personal information and bank account balance, scammers might direct potential victims to withdraw money and deposit it into a “safe account.”
“Fraudsters pretend to be calling from government agencies, such as Service Canada, Department of Justice, Canada Revenue Agency, Government of Canada, and RCMP. They will ask you to provide or confirm your SIN or other personal information, resulting in identity theft,” the bulletin noted.
The anti-fraud centre says no government agency will contact people to tell them that their social insurance number has been blocked, and even if the call display appears legitimate, “Fraudsters manipulate caller ID to display phone numbers … [and] they may also display the legitimate phone number of these agencies.”
For more information or to report a fraud, visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/personal-info-personnels-eng.htm.
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