100 Mile House RCMP is investigating a phone scam that cost an elderly resident several thousand dollars.
Staff Sargeant Svend Nielsen said yesterday (Thursday) evening at 8:23 the elderly person reported that they had been contacted by the Ontario Police and the RCMP in regards to money being owed due to someone making false accounts using their unemployment card.
The callers indicated that they were going to be arrested if they didn’t provide financial restitution for the illegal use of their card right away.
Police say the callers were very convincing to the complainant and they were very frightened of their threats to arrest them, so the complainant sent $7000 Canadian Funds through Goggle Pay online.
Neilsen explains what people should do if they receive one of these calls.
“The person should hang up, call a family member they trust and tell them what’s going on, and then they can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre 1-888-495-8501 or they can do an online reporting system as well, it’s very useful to do that. That particular agency forwards that information onto us”.
Police say if you have ab elderly relative or friend to please talk with them about these ongoing scams and have them check in with you before they do anything further after being contacted.