Phone scams are ramping up for the holidays in Penticton and at least one resident is warning seniors not to engage the persistent callers.
Penticton resident Kathy (last name is not being used) said she has been phoned by fraudsters at least five times in the past week, trying out an ICBC scam among other frauds.
“One caller said my warranty was due and they needed all my information about my vehicle including license plate and insurance information,” she said. “I let them talk for a bit to see what kind of scam they were pulling.”
Another time they called and said ‘we know you have a brand new car’ and I own an old truck so I knew right away it was a scam. But they are relentless and they want you to say yes to everything.”
She spoke with a friend who is 91-years-old who got the same calls.
READ MORE: Tax scam targets Okanagan residents
“I’m just worried for the seniors in our community who might get taken by these scammers.”
Kathy has called the non-emergency line of the Penticton RCMP to report all the calls.
Another phone scam that has been making the rounds for sometime is the caller says your Social Insurance Number has been used in a crime and if you don’t phone the number they provide right away, you will be taken to jail.
West Kelowna RCMP are warning the public about an ongoing phone scam that’s making the rounds in the Okanagan.
The phone scam has been reportedly targeting residents by posing as the Canada Revenue Agency and telling victims they have large amounts of money owed on their taxes and will go to jail if they don’t pay the fees via credit card or money transfer.
To make the scam seem legit they will often use the local police detachment phone number that will appear on people’s phone call display, said police.
RCMP, ICBC and Revenue Canada said they would never demand information or money over the phone.
If you receive one of these calls, hang up and let your local RCMP detachment at 250-492-4300 to let them know of the fraud call.
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