Provincial police want you to know about an ongoing fraud involving scammers impersonating the Crown Attorney's Office.
Essex County OPP say the scam involves individuals receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be from the Crown Attorney's Office.
The call display may appear to show a legitimate phone number, and scammers may use the names of real Crown Attorneys or claim to be working with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Scammers may claim you’re a victim of identity theft and must urgently "verify" your identity or protect your money, instructing you to make payments through so-called government-approved ATMs or cash drop boxes, and may send QR codes or documents that appear to be official.
Police say it's important to note that members of the Crown Attorney's Office and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre will never contact you and direct you to make payments, withdraw cash, use Bitcoin machines, scan QR codes, or deposit money into drop boxes.
Police warn that once money is deposited into Bitcoin machines, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to recover.
Protect yourself:
If you believe you have been contacted or victimized, contact the OPP at anytime at 1-888-310-1122 or if an emergency at 9-1-1.