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Ways to avoid phone fraud

NEWS RELEASE SAULT STE. MARIE POLICE SERVICE ************************ The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is pleased to participate in Crime Prevention Week in Ontario.

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE
POLICE SERVICE

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The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is pleased to participate in Crime Prevention Week in Ontario.

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, believes that crime can be reduced by working with our citizens to make our communities safer places to live.

From November 1 to 7, 2015 the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service will provide daily crime prevention information to our citizens.

No one chooses to be a victim of crime, but when crime happens, it hurts.

We want residents of our community to think about how they can protect themselves, their families, their neighbours and workplaces from crime.

Crime Prevention involves all of us working together to make our homes, neighbourhoods and workplaces healthy and safe. 

If we mobilize the entire community, the impact on the wellness and safety of all Ontarians is limitless.

Phone Frauds

Phone fraud is preventable. Never give out personal banking information or any other personal information to someone over the phone, unless you are absolutely certain they are legitimate. 

If a deal sound too good to be true, it is!!

Remember legitimate telemarketers have nothing to hide, however, criminals will say anything to part you from your hard earned money.

Be cautious. You have the right to check out any caller by requesting written information, a call back number, references and time to think over the offer.

Do not give out your personal banking information unless you know the company is legitimate.

This year the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service received several scams including ones from persons pretending to represent a bank or Revenue Canada.

Remember, if you receive a phone call from the bank, don’t provide your banking information unless you generated the call. 

Banking institutions are not going to call you and ask you your banking information as they already have it. 

This is a common scam in which a fraudster is hoping to get your bank account and pin information.

If you are not sure if the call is legitimate or not, hang up and contact your local banking institution.

Canada Revenue Agencey (CRA) scams involved person receiving phone calls saying they owed money and that the money was to be paid right away. 

The victims were instructed to obtain prepaid credit cards or to provide all their social insurance card number, their credit card numbers, bank account numbers or passport numbers. 

The CRA does not ask for prepaid credit cards.

If you have doubts simply hang up the phone.  Provide your information.

If you believe you have been the victim of a phone fraud call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-866-654-9426.

To learn more about phone frauds at their site at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca

With regards to the CRA, they are aware of the scams and have valuable information on their website on how to recognize scams involving their agencies as well.

Visit them at  http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html

Visit us at www.ssmps.org for further Crime Prevention Tips

To view the Community Mobilization Model check out the link below: Ontario’s Mobilization & Engagement Model of Community Policing

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