Police are investigating after a man in Peterborough, Ont., reportedly lost nearly $30,000 to scammers pretending to represent the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
According to the Peterborough Police Service, on Sunday, a 36-year-old man contacted police to report the incident.
He told police that on July 9, he received an automated message on his cellphone from someone claiming to be from the CRA.
According to police, the man called the number and said a woman informed him that his social insurance number had been used to open up 25 bank accounts in his name and that he had several drug allegations pending against him.
Police say the woman then requested a local police number to contact, put the caller on hold and returned claiming that a Peterborough Police Service officer was on another line. A male caller then reportedly provided the victim with a false name and police badge number.
Police say the scammer ordered the victim to go to his bank, withdraw money, go to a convenience store and use a machine to convert the cash into Bitcoin. If questioned, the man was asked to tell the bank he was using the money to purchase a car, according to police.
The victim told police he went to his bank and several ATM machines to withdraw money and convert it into Bitcoin.
Police say the victim became suspicious, did some online research and determined he was being scammed.
He reportedly received another call from the scammers on Monday but did not respond.
Police investigated and determined the victim had been scammed out of $29,300.
Police are advising people to never provide personal information by phone, email or text before confirming the identity of the caller.
“If you didn’t initiate the call, you don’t know who you’re talking to,” police said.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact police at 705-876-1122 or online, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online.
For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud and scams please, visit the government of Canada and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre websites.