North Bay Police and its Police Association's name is being used by recent fraudulent calls that try to steal your money.
"Victims are receiving fraudulent calls from scammers claiming to be representatives of the North Bay Police Association and are asking for significant cash donations to support causes in North Bay," says a news release. "The scammers claim they will attend the victim’s address in the coming days to retrieve payment."
The North Bay Police Association confirms it is not collecting donations for any cause and that these calls are not from an official representative of the Association.
"If you or one of your loved ones receives one of these calls, hang up and block the number," is the advice police are giving.\
If you received a call and made a donation, please report the incident to the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.nearnorthcrimestoppers.com.
In order to protect yourself from fraud over the phone or online, when you receive a call, text, or e-mail that you think could be a scam, remember to always:
TAKE 5 – Scammers will try to pressure you into making a decision or purchase with claims of “Limited-time offers,” and “One-time deals.” Separate yourself from the person and take at least five minutes to think about whether or not you are being scammed. If a deal seems “Too good to be true,” it probably is.
TELL 2 – If someone has tried to scam you, tell two people. Education is the best form of prevention and if we tell two friends we can all do our part in preventing frauds.
You can educate yourself and your loved ones to spot potential scams by using the resources available from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and learn about the most common scams and how to avoid them by reading the Little Black Book of Scams.
