Halifax police are warning the public, saying there’s been an increase in fraudulent phone calls made by scammers who pretend to be police officers, representatives of Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency.
“A common theme of late involves the scammer advising the victim that a warrant has been issued and the police may already be on their way to arrest them,” reads a Halifax Regional Police press release issued Wednesday.
Scammers advise victims to make payments using gift cards or Bitcoin to avoid being arrested.
They also often disguise their phone numbers as a local number and may even know the victim’s full name and contact information.
Police remind the public that law enforcement and government agencies will never make this type of call or request payment through gift cards and Bitcoin.
“This is a scam and you should hang up and not provide any information or payment,” according to the release.
Those who identify fraud can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Anyone who is a victim of fraud, has lost money or whose identity has been compromised should call police at 902-490-5016.
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