The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are warning residents to be cautious of caller ID spoofing scams, where fraudsters manipulate phone numbers to appear as local businesses, government agencies, or even the recipient’s own number.
During Fraud Prevention Month, the OPP’s Anti-Rackets Branch and Serious Fraud Office are highlighting how scammers use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to disguise their identity and pressure people into sharing personal information or making fraudulent payments.
Common tactics include “neighbouring,” where the first six digits of the recipient’s number are spoofed to seem familiar; “mirroring,” where the recipient’s own number appears on the screen; and “impersonation,” where scammers pose as trusted institutions.
Police urge Ontarians to let unknown calls go to voicemail, avoid sharing sensitive information over the phone, and verify suspicious calls by contacting the organization directly using a trusted source. Suspected scams should be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online through the Fraud Reporting System.
More fraud prevention tips are available at opp.ca and sfo.opp.ca.
