Nelson Police Department is warning residents to be cautious of telephone scams - a ritual that happens every year during the tax season.
“We have received reports of several attempted scams in the area recently,” said Sgt. Dan Markevich, adding he even received a call at his desk at the NPD office recently.
“After a few minutes of hearing him tell me I was going to be arrested, I told him I was a police officer,” said Sgt. Markevich, adding the man then ended the call.
“When I called the number back it was already disconnected. This scam is operated internationally,” he said, adding it’s very difficult to identify the perpetrators.
Sgt. Markevich said NPD have received about a half dozen calls in the past week from citizens, who have all been directed to the Anti-Fraud Centre.
NPD have started three files in the past week with citizens and no one has reported losing any money.
There are many variations of the scam including callers claiming to be with the Canada Revenue Agency, credit card companies and even the US Federal Reserve bank.
The caller, who can be forceful and sometimes pretends to be a police officer, often tells the victim that there is a warrant for their arrest. The caller then arranges for payment for outstanding taxes with the victim to avoid being arrested.
NPD urges everyone to think twice before providing personal information to anyone.