Investigators with the York Regional Police Financial Crimes Unit – Major Fraud are reminding the community to beware of ongoing telephone scams.
York Regional Police continue to receive reports from citizens across the region who have been contacted by suspects posing as bank investigators. The victims are told their debit or credit cards have been compromised and they are asked for their card numbers and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) for ‘verification’ purposes.
In some instances, the suspects tell the victims that in order to help further the investigation, someone will be sent to their house to pick up their cards. Once the suspects have the cards, they are used to make illegal purchases.
Other incidents have seen victims being phoned by what appears to be a wireless phone company, claiming to offer a special deal.
Similar to the bank investigator scam, the victim is asked to provide their card and PIN numbers for verification purposes to finalize the transaction. The information is used by the suspects to make illegal purchases.
Several victims have reported losing more than $20,000 as a result of the scams.
To avoid becoming a victim, follow these crime prevention tips:
- Never disclose personal information for unsolicited calls from a bank or any company
- Verify information with your bank or company by calling them at a phone number confirmed to belong to them
- Never provide your banking cards to anyone who comes to your home
- Ask yourself: “Could this be a scam?” “Does it make sense?”
- When in doubt, attend your bank or the company storefront and speak with the staff
For a list of ongoing scams and tips to avoid becoming a victim of fraud, visit www.yrp.ca/fraud. We encourage citizens to share these fraud prevention tips with friends and family, especially seniors or newcomers to Canada, who are frequently the target victims.
If you have been a victim of a fraud, and have lost money, report the incident promptly to the YRP Financial Crimes Unit either online at www.yrp.ca/ReportIt or by calling 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6627. To report frauds where no money has been lost, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-496-8501.
Crime prevention is our shared responsibility: Find up-to-date crime data in York Region on the Community Safety Data Portal, or become a partner in community safety by signing up for the Security Camera Registry today.
Prepared by: Constable Kevin Nebrija
June 6, 2025
