Deceptive criminals are on the move in Saskatchewan at a higher than usual rate, a the recent uptick in fraudulent activity in the province – particularly fraud calls.
Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur cautions anyone who thinks they may be in a fraud situation not to rush to a decision, and to be vigilant of the signs that they are being lured into a scam.
A media release on the RCMP Saskatchewan website noted the prevalence of a particular phone scam in which victims are called and informed by someone posing as a constable or officer with the RCMP, that there’s a warrant for their arrest for a tax-related crime. The caller goes on to try and collect payment over the phone for purported unpaid taxes.
Another common scam is a call in which victims are threatened by a caller impersonating a Canada Revenue Agency employee to have the police sent to arrest them, unless they pay their “taxes.”
Often, when a person is contacted by a scammer, there are a lot of clues. In such circumstances calls seem strange and inconsistent with a person’s situation and circumstances.
“If someone calls and says ‘You’ve been reassessed for your taxes and now you owe $20,000,’ does that make sense with where you’re at financially? Look at your own present situation,” said Ladouceur. “Ask yourself, ‘Does this seem to fit where I’m at, in my present life?’”
Rather than make any rash decisions on the phone, Ladouceur recommends someone receiving suspicious calls contact the police as soon as possible.
“We’d much rather the public contact us and say, ‘I received this call today and I’m uncertain about it. Can you help me to figure out whether it’s legitimate or not?’” said Ladouceur. “People who’ve dealt with this usually tell us there have been threats over the phone about being arrested or receiving a large fine, so it’s important to be cautious.”
An effective strategy is to be inquisitive when any suspicion of fraud arises. Ladouceur suggested asking for a number to call back, and the opportunity to do some verification on who’s calling.
“If it’s a legitimate company or government agency they’re going to be more than happy for you to check into it. They’ll give you a contact number and make you feel at ease,” said Ladouceur. “If you ask for all of that and the phone goes click, then it’s not legitimate.”
Sometimes the most dangerous scams aren’t even the ones where demands are being made. Ladouceur said scammers often make offers that seem “too good to be true,” and that is pretty much the extent of those offers.
“They can be someone calling you and telling you that you won a million dollars, but they are asking for $900 to pay shipping and processing fees,” said Ladouceur. “In my 25 years of policing, I’ve yet to see that be true. If you legitimately win money, they’re not going to charge you for it.”
Ladouceur also spoke at length about the prevalence of fraudulent sales offers, such as ones involving unusually inexpensive vehicles.
“If you go to an auto trader and are looking at a $15,000 car and you go online and see one for $5,000, you have to ask yourself some questions at that point,” said Ladouceur. “We’ve seen scams where people go out and take pictures of cars, advertise them online, (and then) get you to make an e-transfer to an account opened with a fake ID, and are never seen again.”
Becoming familiar with, and tracking a particular trend in fraudulent calls is difficult for the authorities. Ladouceur referred to fraudsters as professionals in their own right, because they gain a sense of cunning doing it constantly. Fraudsters usually design a particular scam, and run it until it gets attention, whereupon they devise a new scam, repeating the pattern. This leads to an ever-changing gamut of unique
fraudulent schemes.
In the media release on its website, the RCMP advised anyone receiving any suspicious calls, particularly ones with callers claiming to be associated with the Canada Revenue Agency, to not give any personal information and to end the call.
