No, B.C. did not call to ask you to pay your ambulance fees in bitcoin

Ambulances parked at the central reporting station in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, November 9, 2023. (Chad Hipolito / The Canadian Press)

B.C. Emergency Health Services is the latest government agency to issue a warning about scammers spoofing its phone number and demanding payment in cryptocurrency.

In social media posts on Tuesday, BCEHS said “several members of the public” have reported receiving calls appearing to be from “B.C. Ambulance.” The callers have told the recipients they need to pay their ambulance fees in bitcoin.

“These calls are a scam and are not from BCEHS,” the agency said.

“Ambulance bills may be paid by credit card or bank transfer, and we would never request payment by any other means.”

BCEHS advised anyone with questions about whether a call regarding their ambulance bill is legitimate to contact its billing department at 1-800-665-7199.

Ambulance service is not an insured benefit under the provincial Medical Services Plan, but it is heavily subsidized, according to the BCEHS website.

Current fees for B.C. residents with valid care cards are $50 if an ambulance is dispatched and transportation is not required or refused, and $80 if a patient is transported.

Unsubsidized fees for non-MSP-beneficiaries are $848 for a ground ambulance transport, $4,394 per hour for a helicopter and $11 per statute mile ($6.94 per kilometre) in an airplane.