The Bowen Island RCMP responded to 45 calls for service in February 2021;
- 8 of those files were related to traffic complaints or enforcement;
- 2 of those files were drivers licence suspensions for impaired driving;
- 1 of those files was a request to check a person’s well being;
- 4 of those files were reports of theft;
- 1 of those files was a request to assist injured wildlife;
- 2 of those files were reports of a telephone fraud.
As of late, there seems to have been an increase in the number of fraudulent or scam phone calls that people are receiving. I personally receive several calls a day from someone claiming to be an employee of the CRA or Service Canada. The caller advises me that they will arrest me unless I send them money and then they ask for my name. This seems strange, so I tend to engage the caller in conversation about music, popular culture, geography, the anatomy of certain animals, whatever I find interesting at that moment. After several minutes, they tend to hang up. To date, no one from the CRA or Service Canada has come to arrest me.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be with the CRA, Service Canada, or any other government organization, and they threaten to arrest you, please don’t give them access to your banking information and don’t provide them with any of your personal information. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be your grandchild or a casual acquaintance, and they tell you they’re in trouble, please don’t send them any money or bitcoin. Don’t open emails from people that you don’t know, and don’t download anything unless you’re certain of its origin. If you receive these types of calls or emails please take down the phone number or email address and report the issue to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or toll free at 1-888-495-8501. If you ever have concerns about calls or emails you receive, you can also contact the RCMP at 604-947-0516 to confirm their validity.
