The RCMP says scammers are faking its Ontario communications centre number, so a call that looks official on your screen may not be real.
Scammers are calling Ontario residents while pretending to be RCMP officers, and the number on your screen may look real. The RCMP says its Central Region communications centre number has been spoofed. Spoofing means a fake call shows up with a real, trusted number.
Most people trust a call that appears to come from the police. That is exactly what the scammers are counting on. The RCMP says that if a caller asks you to call back a specific number, you should not do it and should not share personal information.
This follows an earlier RCMP warning about police impersonators. Those scammers used fake delivery notices for court papers, claims about a serious crime, and demands for money to bail out a loved one. A call that mentions any of those should raise your guard.
The warning is aimed at Ontario residents who get a call or message from someone claiming to be with the RCMP. If that is not you, there is nothing to do except pass the word along to family members who might be targeted.
The RCMP has not said, in the material shared, how many people were called or whether anyone lost money. It also has not said when the spoofing began or how long it may continue.
The steps to take are in the alert box above. The short version: do not trust the caller ID alone, and check with your local RCMP detachment using a number you find yourself.
A real police number on your screen does not prove a real officer is calling, so hang up and check with your local detachment yourself.
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