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More phone fraud scams: Tisdale RCMP

TISDALE — According to Sgt. Daryl Andrusiak, the Tisdale RCMP’s commanding officer, cell phone fraud scams are on the rise. “It might just be that time of the season but it seems to have really taken off in the last little while,” Andrusiak said.
Tisdale RCMP

TISDALE — According to Sgt. Daryl Andrusiak, the Tisdale RCMP’s commanding officer, cell phone fraud scams are on the rise.

“It might just be that time of the season but it seems to have really taken off in the last little while,” Andrusiak said.

The Tisdale RCMP said they had people fall victim to these scams, losing amounts from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

The scam that appears to be most common right now is a false Canadian Revenue Agency call. The victim gets a call, sometimes an automated voice, claiming to be from the Canadian Revenue Agency. They say that the victim has unpaid taxes. Caller identification may also be altered so it looks real.

The real Canadian Revenue Agency said in a situation like this to call them or check your online mail, not to trust the call. They can be reached for individual tax inquiries at 1-800-959-8281.

“It would never go that way, the Canadian Revenue Agency would never just call you up and say, ‘you have back taxes, send me...’ especially the way they’re going about it seems to be iTunes and gift cards.”

Andrusiak said no real organization would ask to be sent gift cards.

“There’s no legitimate organization or business that would ask you to make payment in that way. The reason they’re doing it, obviously, is it’s like cash. It can’t be traced.”

In Andrusiak’s work, he found a majority of these scams are coming from China.

He encourages people to go on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC) website if they have access to a computer. The CAFC is a government agency which collects information on these crimes as well as has tips on how to avoid falling victim.

“I just encourage people to go on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center website, research it and know what to be aware of and protect yourself,” Andrusiak said.

Another popular scam going on right now is the lottery scam.

“‘You’ve won $12.5 million but you have to send me $3,000 to get these papers processed,’” Andrusiak said. “Well, no, it doesn’t work that way, you should never give money to get money.”

If you get one of these calls there’s something you can do – end it.

“That’s the biggest thing, just hang up.”