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Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are issuing a warning to the public amid an ongoing phone scam in which people are pretending to be members of the police force and even spoofing their phone numbers.
Scammers have been calling people in the province repeatedly and identifying themselves as police officers.
The scammers may ask about ongoing investigations, request personal information, or in some cases try to obtain sensitive details under the guise of it helping with a police matter. By making repeated calls, police say scammers are trying to add pressure onto individuals to respond.
It’s not just repeated calls, either.
OPP say fraudsters are using spoofing technology to make it appear as though the calls are coming from a legitimate police number, specifically that of the Sudbury OPP. That phone number is 705-564-6900.
By doing so, police say it may make the call seem even more credible and increase the likelihood members of the public will answer and speak with the scammers.
People are reminded that police will never request sensitive personal or financial information over the phone.
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“These calls are fraudulent and are an attempt to deceive individuals into providing information that could be used for criminal purposes,” OPP said in a release.
The public is asked to remain vigilant as scam calls continue to grow in frequency and reminded to take several precautions.
These include:
- Don’t provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers.
- Be cautious of repeated calls and do not feel pressured to respond.
- Do not rely solely on caller ID, as phone numbers are being spoofed.
- Verify the identity of the caller by contacting your local police detachment directly using publicly listed phone numbers.
- Be cautious of any caller creating a sense of urgency or pressure.
If you receive a suspicious call claiming to be from police, hang up and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. You can also contact them online.
Anyone with information about these incidents is also asked to contact Nipissing West OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
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