Renfrew resident loses thousands to crypto extortion scam

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning the public about a phone spoofing and cryptocurrency scam that bilked a Renfrew County resident of more than $50,000.

Police say they received a report from a resident saying they received multiple spoofed phone calls from what appeared to be different federal government departments and the OPP. The victim later converted funds into virtual currency, which was provided directly to the scammers using a Bitcoin Teller Machine.

The OPP says these sort of extortion scams are the most common type of fraud where impersonation tactics are used. In these type of scams, potential victims are contacted by phone, email and/or text message by fraudsters who claim that your Social Insurance Number has been compromised or linked to criminal activity. The fraudsters may also claim to be from the Canada Border Services Agency and that a package addressed to you, containing illegal substances, was intercepted by Canada Post.

Police urge you to take the following precautions to protect yourself:

– Do not assume that phone numbers appearing on call display are accurate.
– Be wary of automated calls asking you to dial 1 to speak with an officer.
– No government agency will contact you and tell you that your SIN is blocked.
– Never provide personal information over the phone to an unknown caller.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received reports from victims losing money to extortion frauds totalling more than $19 million in 2022.