While the City of Penticton has done phone surveys in the past, they are saying that a current round of calls are not coming from the city.
According to a release, fraudulent calls are being placed with residents asking that they take part in an “environmental survey” that does not exist.
'Should someone receive such a phone call, they should not provide any information to the caller," the release from city hall warns.
Reportedly the caller is quite persistent – phoning a given resident several times looking to contact them. Upon answering, the caller identifies themselves as calling from the City of Penticton – even though the caller ID comes up as “unknown.”
The caller has been reported as very pushy and will not let the resident decline to participate in the survey, noting they “have to keep calling until the survey’s done.”
The release also states this is not the way the city conducts phone surveys, nor are they doing one at this time.
"Whenever the City initiates a telephone survey, citizens are provided the opportunity to consent to participate at the beginning; should they decline, the caller promptly ends communication. The City would never make repeated calls or try to coerce survey participation."
Although the nature of the phone call or questions has not been ascertained, the release advises residents to be vigilant against fraud. Scams can involve individuals impersonating companies and organizations to lead citizens into believing that a request for information from a legitimate entity. This type of fraud can be generally perpetrated by mail, email or phone – with the aim to obtain information like personal, financial or password data.
If you think you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.