Don’t trust caller ID, York police warn after reports of callers impersonating officers

Don’t trust caller ID.

That’s the message from York Regional Police after they say they’ve received a number of reports about fraudulent calls with suspects impersonating their officers.

“In recent incidents, fraudsters have contacted victims by telephone and identified themselves as police officers,” a police release states.

“The fraudster tells the victim to provide a monetary payment, cryptocurrency or financial information to prevent their assets from being seized or frozen.”

Investigators say a large number of the frauds involve the use of phone number spoofing, which occurs when suspects use software programs and other technology to alter the called ID to display false information.

“Suspects can make it appear as though a call is coming from any organization or business,” police warn.

“In most cases, they pose as government agencies, police services, the Canada Revenue Agency and other legal entities. Citizens are encouraged to confirm to whom they are speaking through their own research. Never trust the information displayed on an incoming call.”

York Regional Police are reminding citizens it “does not make phone calls demanding money or detailed personal information” and that any such call or email of that nature “should be considered a scam.”