Rise in Telephone Fraud Calls – How to Protect Yourself

Ashcroft RCMP are drawing the community’s awareness to a rise in telephone fraud calls and to what steps can be taken to protect yourself against these scams.

In the last seven days, Ashcroft RCMP have been contacted by five individuals who all reported similar scam phone calls. The scams reported included the ‘grandchild’ scam, where the scammer poses as an official and states that a grandchild is in custody and bail needs to be paid for their release, and the ‘CBSA’ scam, where the victim is informed that a package being shipped to them has been intercepted with illicit substances inside and that there is now a warrant for their arrest.

A useful RCMP resource on how to recognize scams and protect yourself from them can be found here.

These scam calls are multi-national operations that cannot be dealt with at a local level, said Constable Richard Wright, Ashcroft RCMP. The key to protecting yourself and your loved ones is in learning about these scams and not engaging with scammers when they call.

Another great resource that can be used to educate yourself regarding scams is the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.

If you are concerned that you may have fallen victim to these or similar scams, please call Ashcroft RCMP at 250-453-2216.