(ST.MARYS, ON) A St.Marys resident contacted the Perth County OPP this week reporting an attempted fraud.
The resident advised that he received a telephone call from an individual stating he was from a collection agency. The agency was hired to collect $12,000 which the resident had supposedly outstanding on his major department store account. The resident knowing that he had not used this account for over 10 years asked for clarification and details. The caller was not able to provide details but instead gave a 1-888 number to call to make arrangements for payment.
The resident checked his credit rating and found everything to be in order. He subsequently called the 1-888 provided and spoke to a male person. The male gave the name of a credit company he was representing and said he was working out of the Toronto office. The male was evasive and wanted to confirm the resident’s information. The resident, knowing this was a fraud did not release any information and ended the conversation.
A further check of the collection company mentioned revealed that there is a legitimate Canadian collection agency by that name. However, the 1-888 phone number provided does not appear on the legitimate collection agencies home page. A check by police of the 1-888 number revealed that the number is flagged as a telemarketing scam using a legitimate business (the collection agency) as a front to obtain private information.
Police are reminding the public that fraudsters are continually trying to come up with new and unique ways to obtain your private information. Recognize the unsolicited phone call, letter, email or visit at your front door for what it is.
Don’t release information unless you are the caller and you know for certain whom you are talking to. Anyone wanting more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud centre at 1-888-495-8501 or look them up on line.