The Saanich Police are warning people about a new phone scam in the area that they’re calling “convincing and brazen.”
Last week a Saanich woman received a phone call from what appeared to be her husband’s cell phone.
When she answered it, the man on the end of the line said he was a police officer and that he had her husband in custody. She was told that for her husband’s release she would need to send them a copy of his driver’s license and passport, and a wiring of $15,000 from her bank.
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Just as the woman was texting a picture of her husband’s documents to the fake officer, her husband walked into the house. She had not sent any money, and immediately called the real police.
“It really just shows how brazen they are being,” said Sgt. Julie Fast, Saanich PD spokesperson. “If you think it’s your husband’s phone and they say it’s a police officer, it seems more legitimate.”
Fast said she wasn’t certain of the exact kind of technology used to mimic the phone number, but that it wasn’t the first time this had happened in Saanich.
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Anyone who receives a similar call is urged to be cautious and curious.
“If the person says they are a police officer, ask for their full name and badge number,” the Saanich PD said in a release. “Then tell them that you will call them back at the police department so that you can confirm their identity, and then hang up. A real police officer won’t be offended by this.”
Government agencies will also never ask you to wire them money.
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