NEWS RELEASE
THUNDER BAY POLICE SERVICE
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The Thunder Bay Police Service has received a number of calls regarding individuals receiving phone calls from unknown parties representing themselves as being from Service Ontario and indicating that their Social Insurance Numbers have been breached/compromised.
The individuals then request personal information including their Social Insurance Number and request payments in the form of crypto currency. Many of the phone calls appear to be targeting students.
Anyone receiving phone calls or electronic communication that requests the transfer of funds by any means or relaying personal or banking information should be very cautious and take independent steps to verify the validity of the origin of the request. Contact the institution, government agency or bank directly and do not use links, websites or phone numbers provided by the persons making the request.
1-888-495-8501 is a toll-free number for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and a number of on-line services provide advice on avoiding SCAMS, including the Government of Canada at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/fraud-scams.html as well as the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada website at https://www.cpacanada.ca/en/news/canada/2019-08-16-fraud-roundup
