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Ucluelet RCMP warns of scammers impersonating police

“Police will never demand payment of any kind to get rid of an arrest warrant.”
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Ucluelet residents have reported receiving phone calls from scammers pretending to be members of the RCMP and demanding banking information. (Westerly file photo)

Ucluelet police are warning residents about a new scam making the rounds through local phone numbers that involves callers pretending to be members of the RCMP.

In an email to the Westerly News, Ucluelet RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Steve Mancini explained that the scam involves a caller identifying themselves as a member of the Ucluelet RCMP and attempting to solicit personal banking information from potential victims.

“The detachment has recently received a few complaints from citizens who have received a call from a person who claimed they were a Ucluelet RCMP officer, saying they had a warrant for their arrest,” Mancini wrote.

“The caller requests personal banking information and demands payment as a means to eliminate the warrant. These scam phone calls are often convincing because the caller ID says 250-726-7773, which is the phone number for the Ucluelet RCMP. Everyone should be aware that the police will never demand payment of any kind to get rid of an arrest warrant.”

Mancini urges all residents to spread word about the scam and, in particular, help ensure senior citizens are brought up to speed.

“It is important to tell family members and friends who may not have heard about this scam,” he wrote. “The more people who know about this scam, the better.”

Anyone who believes they might have been contacted by a scammer should immediately report their experience to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre.ca.



andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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