A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) sign is seen in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)
Manitoba RCMP are warning of two recent frauds in the southern portion of the province where victims were scammed out of more than $34,000.
Police say in one instance, a victim received a call from a person claiming to work for the Canada Border Services Agency. The caller advised that they had intercepted a package addressed to the victim.
Additional calls were made to the victim from someone impersonating a police officer and another call from someone claiming to be from the CBSA, where they requested funds to rectify the issue. The victim continued to receive calls and realized it was a scam before reporting it to police.
In the second instance, a victim received a call from someone impersonating a police officer, claiming that a family member of the victim had been involved in a collision and was now at a police station. The caller requested that the victim send money in order for the family member to be released from police custody. After the money was sent, the victim followed up with another family member and realized it was a scam and called police.
“No police agency or other government agency will request you send monetary payments to them by way of mail, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or QR codes,” RCMP said in a release. “This is a scam, and the callers usually use pressure tactics and threaten the victim if they don’t pay forthwith.”
RCMP advise if anyone receives a suspicious telephone call requesting money, they hang up and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
