May 16, 2018 (Courtesy of the Ottawa Citizen ) – The RCMP isn’t making calls claiming taxpayers owe big and will be under arrest if they don’t pay up via money transfer, the force is warning.
It’s a scam and the calls, in which fraudsters impersonate police officers, are using caller ID spoofing to make it look like they coming from the Mounties/
The callers tell their marks that there is a large amount of money owing on their personal taxes and that an arrest warrant has been issued in their name. The only way to make it go away is an immediate money transfer, the fraudster threatens.
Caller ID spoofing is a “popular” tool that allows scammers to make their calls look like they’re coming from local or familiar numbers to trick people into answering the phone and trusting the caller.
“Be aware: the RCMP does not contact individuals via email or telephone for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes,” the force said in a release.
Meanwhile, police in MRC des Collines are warning that fraudsters are calling residents and merchants claiming to be raising money for the Fraternité des policiers de l’Outaouais.
“Be careful,” police said after a Val-des-Monts resident got such a call Tuesday.
