Erin Cranton says people in eastern Ontario are being targeted by a scammer pretending to work for their bank.
According to Cranton, the Media Relations Coordinator for the OPP’s East Region headquarters, the fraudster begins by calling victims on the phone.
“The person identifies the victim by name and tells them their bank information or credit card has been compromised,” Cranton says. “The fraudster requests personal information including pin number and passwords and advises the victim to leave their debit card and credit card in an envelope outside by the front door for pick up and destruction.”
According to Cranton, the scammer would arrive at the victim’s home after the phone call to pick up the envelope.
She says calls like these tend to happen early in the morning, so victims are asleep or not fully alert before picking up the phone.
If you receive a suspicious call, she recommends you avoid providing any banking passwords or info over the phone, and to tell the person you’re speaking with that you’ll call back.
After hanging up, she says you should contact your bank to verify if the call was legitimate.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam like this, Cranton is urging you to report it to the OPP or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.