NEWS RELEASE
THUNDER BAY POLICE SERVICE
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The Thunder Bay Police Service is warning the public about an apparent spike in scams involving demands for crypto currencies like Bitcoin.
These fraudsters appears to be targeting local numbers, and they appear to be utilizing a variety of strategies to cause their targeted victims to panic.
The fraudsters may call claiming to be with a financial institution, private business or government institution. The victims are usually told they owe money and that the debt must be settled immediately to avoid serious consequences.
Targets are then provided with instructions on how to provide the caller with crypto currency.
Please consider that no legitimate organization will contact you unsolicited and demand payment in cryptocurrency. You have the right to hang up on these callers.
If you believe the suspected fraudster may be a legitimate representative of the organization they claim to be with, then please locate their contact information and connect with them on your terms. Do not use contact information the caller provides you with, and do not trust phone numbers provided to you via your caller display. Caller IDs can be spoofed.
Please take time to speak to your more vulnerable friends and family members who may be more aggressively targeted by these kinds of scams.
To learn more about frauds and scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/cryptocurrency-cryptomonnaie-eng.htm
