The RCMP in Windsor has put out a warning after its phone number is being used to scam residents.
The phone number for the Windsor detachment of the RCMP O Division, (519) 948-5287, has been showing up "spoofed" on caller IDs and is being used to trick people.
Legitimate law enforcement agencies will never ask you to make payments using Bitcoin or gift cards, show up to your home to collect money for a loved one in jail, or ask for your personal information such as your Social Insurance Number (SIN), your date of birth, or your phone number.
Spoofing is a tactic scammers use on a device to mask their real phone number and display a different number than the caller's actual one.
If you get a call and something about it does not seem right, hang up, wait ten minutes, and call your local police agency. The ten-minute wait is suggested because scammers have the technology to keep a spoofed number for up to ten minutes.
The RCMP has also reminded people that it is not the police agency of jurisdiction in Windsor-Essex. In Ontario, the RCMP handles federal laws, including national security, border integrity, transnational, serious and organized crime, and financial crimes such as cybercrime, money laundering, and counterfeiting.