Ontario Provincial Police are warning people of a caller ID scam.
Officers say scammers can appear as a local number, business or government agency. Their goal is to get personal or financial information over the phone.
According to the OPP, there’s three main ways that scammer can fake a caller ID.
“Neighbouring” is a tactic where the caller will match the first six digits of the recipient’s phone number, which makes it like a local call. “Mirroring” is when the recipient will see their own phone number as the caller ID, hoping to get people to answer. Then there’s impersonation, where the caller ID is manipulated to look like a trusted source, like a bank, police service or government office.
Police say no legitimate business or government office would ask for sensitive details over the phone.
To avoid scams, don’t trust the caller ID on your phone and let any unknown calls go to voicemail. You can also hang up and call an organization or person from a trusted number to verify.
If you notice any suspicious calls, Ontario police ask you report them to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online through the fraud reporting system.
