The Nova Scotia RCMP is warning about unsolicited emails from people pretending to be the police and threatening the recipient to contact them.
In a release, police say they have received “numerous reports of emails received posing as police, with actual police officer names and positions, threatening the recipient to contact them or ‘action’ will be taken.”
It said a fake email is listed as the contact, and once contact is made, the scammer demands personal information or something of financial value, like cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
Lately, some emails have claimed the recipient is being investigated for child pornography offences, and they threaten to send their information to another authority.
“Police and legitimate organizations do not do business this way, they do not make threats,” the release said.
The RCMP is urging people not to click links in suspicious emails or contact a source through information provided in an unsolicited email.
“Should you get any form of communication and you are questioning the source, then reach out to that organization by a contact that you have obtained directly on your own, for example from a phonebook or its legitimate website,” said Sgt. Wayne Ross of Nova Scotia RCMP commercial crime section.
Police say the investigation into the email scam is ongoing.