Police warn of sophisticated scam targeting banking customers

A woman on a cellphone in this undated stock image. (Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels.com)

Imagine answering a call from what looks like your bank’s number, only to find out it’s a scammer trying to get your financial details.

A similar incident has police issuing an alert to the public about a sophisticated phone spoofing scheme targeting bank customers.

According to South Simcoe police, the scam unfolded last month when a Bradford resident believed a call they received was from their bank with a warning their financial cards had been compromised.

"They were told their bank cards would be retrieved at their home by an employee of the bank, and to place them in an envelope to be collected," the police service stated.

Police say while the caller remained on the line gathering personal information from the resident, a second suspect showed up at the Bradford home to pick up the bank cards.

Local authorities determined the resident had been contacted by a spoofed number by someone posing as an employee at their bank.

"Fraudsters are disguising their phone numbers to appear as legitimate businesses or financial institutions and may use professional language to gain your trust," police warn, adding, "Banks will never send employees to your home or workplace to discuss account issues or possible fraud."

Protect Yourself

To protect yourself from such scams, police advise residents not to share personal or banking details over the phone unless they initiated the call using a verified number.

They say if you’re unsure about a caller’s legitimacy, hang up and contact the company directly.

Additionally, police caution residents not to open the door to unexpected visitors claiming to represent a business.

Finally, anyone believing they have been targeted or received suspicious calls is encouraged to report the incident to police.