Yet another phone scam is circulating in the Tri-Cities and this one has police warning residents to beware of phoney callers identifying themselves as cops.
Port Moody Police Department, in a release, said it recently became aware that some residents have received scam telephone calls during which an automated voice message identifies the caller as a police investigator. The message instructs the victim to return the call immediately or risk further police investigation.
Such calls are most likely some form of scam, Const. Jason Maschke said in a statement.
“In most instances, should you receive a call from a legitimate police officer, they would clearly identify themselves by name, rank and section, as well as identifying their respective police agency,”“ They would also provide a legitimate return telephone number to call.
The threatening scam is similar to one popular during tax season, now underway, in which someone claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and warns of immediate arrest if payments are not made via the internet or Western Union. Neither of these types of calls is legitimate and neither the police nor the CRA will ever call and demand immediate electronic payment to clear an arrest warrant.
“If it sounds suspicious, it most likely is,” Maschke said.
Anyone with information about scams of this sort is asked to call PMPD at 604-461-3456 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
More information about telephone fraud is available at crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/telemarketing/fraud.htm.
