Kingston Police: New Service Canada phone scam targeting area
Kingston Police want the public to be aware of a telephone scam that appears to be targeting the region. Over the last few days, local police have received numerous reports of the scam, Kingston Police reported on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019.
“The suspicious caller states that they are from Service Canada and indicate that they are calling in regards to your pension, or your SIN card number,” police said in a press release.
“The scammers continue by stating there is currently a warrant out for your arrest, or that you are subject to undisclosed penalties or fines that must be paid immediately.”
According to police, sometimes the initial call is automated, and victims are asked to press a number, taking them to a live operator. The operator then attempts to obtain personal information, posing as a government employee.
Kingston Police are warning the public to avoid providing any personal information to these scammers, including Social Insurance Numbers, credit card or banking information, or name and address.
“Simply hang up on the scammer after indicating you will be reporting the incident to the police,” Kingston Police advised. “In the calls persist then contact Kingston Police to report the incidents.”
The easy solution to this would be for cellular providers to create the option to block all calls coming from voice over IP (VoIP). All of these scam artists use VoIP systems to phone and they are untraceable, so why not just cut them all off… For the 2% of people who use VoIP legitimately, that’s their problem.