Scammers spoof North Okanagan residents by posing as RCMP

Fraudsters are spoofing potential victims by displaying the Vernon RCMP non-emergency phone line on caller IDs.

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP has been receiving reports that fraudsters are impersonating police officers to lure the public into providing personal information and money, according to a news release.

Police are warning the public that the spoofed phone calls are altered to falsely display the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP non-emergency phone number.

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The people who made the reports saw through the scam and called the non-emergency line.

"The RCMP will never request monetary payments, or personal information such as Social Insurance Numbers, bank or credit card information, garage door codes or alarm codes," RCMP spokesperson Const. Chris Terleski said in the release.

RCMP are reminding the public to avoid assuming a caller knows who you are because they know basic information about you. They also are warning the public against handing out personal information to unsolicited callers and paying debts through crypto-currencies or gift cards.

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"If there is any reason to suspect the person you are speaking to is not a police officer, a government representative, or from a legitimate business or financial institution, hang up and call back using publicly accessible numbers," the release reads.

Any suspected frauds can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.

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