From the RCMP:

During the past two days, the Fort St John RCMP has received dozens of calls reporting a new round of locally targeted scam phone calls. 

Victims receive a call from an Ontario phone number and the caller says they are from Service Canada. The caller tells the victim they have too many credit cards or too many bank accounts and instruct the victim to empty their bank accounts, travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta, where they are to convert their money to bit coin then deposit it as directed. 

The caller sounds believable because they have the victim's name, address and phone number and then ask that the victim confirm their last three digits of their SIN. The caller also provides a website that they refer the victim to which looks like a Canadian government website with the phone number they are calling from listed on the bottom of the page, making the call seem legitimate. One report stated it was Boarder Services calling saying the victim's Social Insurance Number (SIN) had been compromised.

Even over the last two days the scam appears to be evolving with some people being called from Fort St John phone numbers, including the Fort St John RCMP. 

"Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated and frauds are getting more elaborate," said Constable Chad Neustaeter. "Getting the word out so that our community is educated about what is happening and having the confidence to know how to deal with the situation can help them make safe, informed decisions."

There are numerous ways to protect yourself:

  • Never provide personal information such as your SIN
  • If someone calls you and says they are from the CRA, Service Canada, Border Services or a bank and are saying your accounts have been compromised or asking you to transfer money, call the agency back or attend your local bank in person to verify
  • You have the right to say "No" and then to research what you were told, time constraints and continuous pressure are tactics fraudsters use to get people to follow their instructions.

If you are a victim or receive a call that you believe is fraudulent in any way, report it to the antifraudcentre.ca.  There is great additional resources on this site as well.

If you do provide sensitive personal information such as bank account or credit card information, passwords or your SIN number:

  • Report it to your bank or credit card company
  • Change your passwords
  • Make a police report
  • Make a report to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.

The best thing you can do is share this information with your family and friends because the more people that know what is going on, the less victims will fall for these sorts of scams.

If you have been a victim of any of these scam calls, have information or can assist in identifying any possible suspects, you are asked to contact the Fort St John RCMP at 250-787-8100. Should you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at crimestoppersnebc.ca.