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RCMP warn public after London phone number spoofed by scammers

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is warning the public after the phone number at their London detachment was “spoofed” by scammers and was being used to trick people into giving out personal information.

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Spoofing is a technique that allows scammers to mask their own phone numbers and make it appear as a trusted number in people’s caller IDs.

The RCMP said the scammers were using the London detachment’s number to coerce victims into giving out personal information, including their social insurance number.

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“These callers are also telling some of the victims that they are under investigation by the RCMP and that they will be arrested, unless they transfer large amounts of money within the next few hours,” the RCMP said Friday.

The RCMP didn’t say how many people, if any, may have fallen victim to the scam.

The Mounties also reminded the public police in Canada don’t contact individuals to collect money or make threats.

“The scams are designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem,” the federal law enforcement agency said.

“If you receive unsolicited calls that are coercive or threatening and claiming to be police or any other government department, don’t panic don’t react, hang up.”

Anyone who may have received these types of calls is asked to report them to their local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or through its website.

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