(file photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

RCMP investigation

RCMP warn residents of phone scam in Maidstone area

Jun 23, 2020 | 1:10 PM

RCMP are warning the public about a phone scam in the Maidstone area. They are reminding residents not to give out personal information over the phone.

Police reported Tuesday, Maidstone RCMP has received information about a telephone-based scam occurring in the area.

According to the RCMP, the phone scammers operate by calling residents and identifying themselves as officers with Canada Revenue Agency. Then, they inform the victims that their Social Insurance Number (SIN) has been involved in a crime.

The culprits then attempt to obtain the victims’ banking information and SIN.

During the conversation, callers also ask for the victims’ local RCMP detachment and phone number, stating that an officer will call them after.

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The callers then use a device to mimic the local police department’s phone number on caller-ID, and have an accomplice call the victim to provide confirmation of the initial caller’s scam while posing as a local police officer.

Maidstone RCMP say they want to make the public aware of this situation and advise residents to never provide personal details over the phone without confirming who the caller is.

“Should you receive a call that you are unsure of, the best way to prevent becoming the victim of a crime is to ask the caller their name, the agency they work for, a call-back number, and then do your own research,” the RCMP said in a media release. “Check the phonebook or internet for the agency the caller claimed to work phone, and then call that number.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW