Scam alert: “Do not hit any buttons”

The latest Canadian phone scam seems to have reached Chatham-Kent.

A local man, who doesn’t want to be identified, is warning the public about a new Service Canada scam after he recently received a suspicious call. He said the caller claimed to be from Service Canada and the RCMP and they threatened to freeze his accounts unless he pressed “1”.

“I’d hate to see elderly folks get nailed with it,” he said. “Do not hit any buttons.”

Service Canada is also warning people to be careful about suspicious emails, texts, and telephone calls.

“Heads up! Suspicious email, text, and phone messages claiming to be from Service Canada are circulating,” tweeted Service Canada last week. “Have you received a suspicious call claiming to be from Service Canada? Be on the lookout for scammers.”

Service Canada said if people are in doubt, they can hang up and check their website or contact them before sharing any personal information.

Chatham-Kent police told Blackburn News it seems new scams are invented daily and they could issue a fraud warning every day.

“Education is the key. People need to recognize that the call, email or text may be fraudulent,” said Constable Renee Cowell, Public Information Officer with Chatham-Kent Police Service. “Scammers prey on making people feel vulnerable, thus pressuring them into making quick decisions, without verifying the situation.”

She also reminds everyone not to provide any financial or personal information to anyone, unless they’ve initiated the contact. It is also important not to click on any links in suspicious emails as you may inadvertently be giving the fraudster access to your computer.

You can report the incident at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm if you have received a fraudulent call, email or text.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said the Social Insurance Number scam continues to be its top reported scam. Learn more by clicking here.