A new scam is making the rounds.
This one involves a male caller claiming to be a Barrie police officer who contacts victims about suspicious activity with their bank accounts.
'In each case, the victims were pressured to provide additional personal and financial information. When they refused, the caller warned that any resulting financial losses would not be covered by their bank if they didn’t cooperate," police said in a news release.
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In one instance, an individual received an email containing a fake police badge and identification card in an attempt to make the scam appear legitimate.
The fraudulent badge was poorly produced, the news release stated, and contained several obvious red flags, including a crest that does not match the official Barrie Police Service crest. As well, the image was sent from a free email service provider. All Barrie Police Service members have BarriePolice.ca email addresses.
If you are unsure whether a caller is a legitimate Barrie Police member:
- Advise the caller that you will hang up and contact the Barrie Police Service directly through the non-emergency line.
- Call the official non-emergency number at 705-725-7025 and follow the prompts to be connected to the officer by name.
- If the call is legitimate, a Barrie Police Service officer will be easily reachable through official channels.
Barrie police remind residents to:
- Never click on suspicious links or open attachments from unknown email addresses.
- Never provide personal or financial information to unknown callers.
- Do not be afraid to say no — scammers often create a false sense of urgency and demand secrecy.
If you suspect you may be a target of fraud or are a victim of fraud, call the Barrie Police Service Fraud Unit at 705-725-7025, or report the fraud online.
