Winnipeg police are warning the public of an elaborate scam call in which a scammer poses as multiple people before eventually asking for money.
Police say the scammer initially claims to be an officer and gives a fake badge number. They then tell the victim their credit card has been compromised and someone is in custody concerning the fraud.
If the victim is on a landline, the scammer asks them to call 911 or another number to confirm the claim. But the scammer won’t hang up, which results in the victim believing they’ve made a new call. Instead, the scammer stays connected and acts as if they are a different person or transfers the victim to another scammer.
READ MORE: 2 people defrauded of more than 34K in phone scams, Manitoba RCMP warns
The scammer also tells people not to call their bank claiming the alleged fraud is an inside job. The scammer will then ask the victim to withdraw money or send them cryptocurrency or gift cards.
Police say they never call people and request money and are reminding people never to give out personal information in response to unexpected calls.
They also remind people that landlines have a call clearing delay time, so if you receive a suspicious call on a landline, you should hang up and wait 30 seconds before dialing again.
Police make arrest after Collegiate Street raid
The WPS also announcing it has laid charges after finding a 12-gauge shotgun and 99 grams of meth during a search of a home on Collegiate Street Thursday night.
The gun has a tampered serial number, while the meth has an estimated street value of $1800. Police also seized 14 rounds of shotgun ammunition, a digital scale, and packaging materials.
34-year-old Peter William Pryma of Winnipeg faces a number of firearm charges along with a drug charge and has been detained in custody.
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