CITYnews halifax : Halifax police warn residents of sudden rise in HRP phone scam

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

Police in Halifax are issuing a warning about a phone scam that appears to be emerging in the municipality.

HRP says the calls are from fraudsters who appear to be spoofing a Halifax Regional Police phone line. On Tuesday, officials say they received several reports which show the department’s non-emergency phone number on the call display.

If you get a call like this, do not provide any personal or financial information and hang up, say police.

In a release, officers say “scammers can spoof phone numbers to make it appear as though they’re calling from a trusted source.”

The agency is cautioning Nova Scotians to never give personal information to anyone by phone, email or in person unless you are certain of their identity and the legitimacy of the organization they represent.

Related:

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• Fraudster infiltrates woman’s phone in bail deportation scam

Anyone who may have received such a call and gave away private information is being asked to contact their local police department.

Police are not calling for help catching a bank employee

Fraudsters are using policing agencies across the country and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) to gain people’s trust.

Victims are misled into believing that the police are asking for their help to catch a dishonest bank employee or to resolve a suspicious transaction by providing personal information or transferring funds.

Another ploy by fraudsters is targeting the RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) by sending text messages from “officers” on delivery notices. The messages say that police are not able to deliver court documents and asks the person to click a link to “reschedule the delivery.”

Police say people often impersonate trusted organizations claiming there are issues with the person’s bank account. They pressure victims to provide information, ask for transferring of funds or tell the person they are helping in a fake investigation.

To appear more credible they can spoof numbers or emails, meaning they look like the call is coming from police or another organization.