Toronto police warn public about calls involving fraudsters posing as officers

Toronto police are warning the public of a telephone scam where numbers from the Toronto Police Service are being “spoofed”.

Police say there have been several instances over the last few weeks where people have received telephone calls from what looks like a verified Toronto Police Service number, from someone claiming to be a police officer.

In the call, the person claiming to be an officer advises the citizen that their vehicle was involved in a collision and that the citizen should make a payment to the officer over the phone.

The call display from the scammer shows the number starting with 416-808, and then has four subsequent numbers. If the number is called back to say they missed a call, citizens discover the initial call was a hoax and was not made by police.

Toronto police say they will not ask the public for private financial information or payment over the phone, or in an unsolicited email.

Police confirm that if an officer did call, any members would leave a voicemail, offer their name, badge number and a callback number for the public, and would also confirm specific details.

If your vehicle is involved in a collision, you would be notified via letter on official Toronto Police Service letterhead and asked to come into the nearest Collision Reporting Centre (CRC).

There are numerous fraudulent calls being made where unknown people have the capability to mimic telephone numbers, sometimes called “spoofing”, where scammers can place outgoing calls.

Police also suggest to never provide any details or confirm personal details over the phone, and instead simply follow up with whatever agency claims to have phoned to ensure the claims being made are accurate.