WESTLOCK – On Wednesday morning Westlock RCMP received multiple reports of scam phone calls involving fraudsters pretending to be RCMP officers, crown prosecutors and alleged detainees.
This scam involves the fraudster calling from either a spoofed caller ID phone number (spoofing is the act of altering the caller id displayed to the person receiving the call) or an unknown number. The fraudster then identifies themselves as a government official, or a family member demanding money to either pay a fine or bail.
The public are reminded that government organizations such as the RCMP will never call asking for payment
Westlock RCMP has the following recommendations to help protect yourself from this fraud:
-If you receive a phone call similar to the one described, hang up the phone and contact the person or organization directly from a known phone number.
-Do not post personal information online or social media.
-Speak with your friends and family and come up with a phrase or code word for when they are in trouble. This will help ensure you are speaking to who they say they are.
Westlock RCMP encourages the public to visit The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca) to familiarize themselves with the many different types of scams out there, as well as to access information and resources to share with family and friends.
If you have fallen victim to this or any other scam, please contact Westlock RCMP at 780-349-4491, as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or 1-888-495-8501). To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.
