Mounties say new scam is ‘concerning’

Police are advising the public to be aware of a new scam being targeted specifically at immigrants to Canada who are worried about being deported.

Mounties in the Okanagan say they’ve received several complaints of the ‘Service Canada Scam,’ which begins with call from a scammer claiming to be from Service Canada, saying the person’s Social Insurance Number has been compromised and they must pay thousands of dollars in the form of Bitcoin, or they could be arrested and deported.

“This recent scam is concerning as the caller ID number shown is the phone number to the Kelowna RCMP Detachment,” said Const. Lesley Smith of the Kelowna RCMP. “We are asking the public that should they receive a call from someone identifying themselves as a Service Canada employee and they demand money, to hang up the phone. Service Canada will not call you and demand money and will not arrest you or have the powers of deportation.”

Smith also said people should not send anyone money or Bitcoin, as the money will be untraceable and therefore unable to be retrieved.

“You do not need to call your local police if you have only received a scam phone call. We ask that you call your local police only if you have been victimized by the scam.”

You can get more information from the RCMP scams and frauds tip link.