Montreal police say they're investigating an increasing number of reports about phone-based fraud schemes targeting seniors who are being duped by people posing as employees at financial institutions.
About 30 complaints have been filed since June, mainly in the LaSalle, Verdun, and Sud-Ouest boroughs, according to police.
The fraudsters are able to make the name of institutions like banks appear on the recipient's caller ID, and when they pick up the phone, they tell the senior that there has been fraudulent activity on their bank cards.
The suspect makes the situation sound urgent and convinces the victim to provide them with their PIN number and to put their bank card in an envelope. They are then told that a postal worker will pick up the envelope to bring it to their bank.
"In each case, the fraudsters hastened to make ATM withdrawals or make various purchases with the stolen cards," Montreal police said in a release on Thursday.
Police are reminding seniors and their loved ones to be vigilant to prevent more frauds from happening.
They also released tips on how to handle these kinds of phone calls:
- Never rely on what is written on your phone's caller display
- Never give personal information over the phone
- Remember that financial institutions never ask their customers to hand over bank cards or reveal their PIN
- Ask for the caller to call back, claiming that you're too busy to talk to them. In 99 per cent of cases, fraudsters will hang up because they do not want to give a number to contact them
- Hang up and verify the authenticity of the call by contacting your financial institution directly using an official number
- Don't give in to pressure
- Consult a member of your family or a close friend to validate the information received
- If in doubt, contact your neighbourhood police station
People can report fraud by calling the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or by calling Info-Crime Montreal at 514-393-1133.
