Peterborough County OPP are warning about a scam.
On Thursday, OPP received a call from an individual reporting that they had received a call from someone claiming to be from their bank and stated that it appeared their account had been compromised. The scammer managed to keep the complainant on the phone with them for nearly three hours and during that time, convinced them to cut up their cards and told them they would send a representative to pick them up. An individual attended their residence, picked up the cut-up cards and left. The complainant called their bank afterwards after figuring out it was a scam and had all the cards cancelled. Fortunately, they were able to avoid losing their savings.
Here’s how this scam works…
The scammer will call you using caller ID spoofing so that the number looks to be from your bank. Often, they will have some personal details which makes them sound legitimate. They claim that they are from the Fraud Department and may ask you about suspicious transactions that they have made up. They tell you to cut up your cards but ensure that you leave the chip intact as they need that to secure your account. A courier arrives to pick up your cards and may even cut them up in front of you, again, leaving the chip intact. During the lengthy call, they manage to trick you into revealing your PIN. The chip contains all the data needed to make transactions so with that, along with your PIN, scammers can drain your accounts in minutes.
Here’s some things to remember…
• Don’t trust caller ID as it can be spoofed to look like it’s your bank.
• No bank will ever ask for your card/chip or send someone to pick it up.
• If you get a call like this, hang up and call the bank using the phone number provided on the back of your card.
• The bank is not going to ask you to provide your PIN over the phone.
OPP urge residents to remain vigilant and report any frauds, suspicious offers, or suspicious contractor activity. If you believe you have been targeted by a scam, contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
For more information on how to recognize and protect yourself from scams, visit www.ontario.ca/page/identify-scam-or-fraud.
