Calgary Police Warns of Recent Financial Scam Involving Impersonating Officers

The Calgary Police Service is warning Calgarians of a financial scam that was recently reported involving individuals impersonating police officers over the phone.

A man reported a suspicious phone call he received, earlier this month, where the person on the other end was trying to extort money from him. In a new release, the police said “In late February 2024, the victim answered the phone and the caller identified themselves as being from the Calgary Police Service and was calling to let the victim know they had arrested someone for using the victim’s bank card at a local shopping centre.”

Police said the caller then told the victim the next step in the investigation was to contact Detective Mark Baldwin, with the Calgary Police Service fraud unit, who is a fictitious officer. When the victim called the non-existent officer, he was told his tax-free savings account was vulnerable and he needed to wire transfer $135,000 to a ghost account to protect his money.

This made the victim suspicious and he promptly contacted his bank to report the incident, and thankfully, he did not lose any money.

“The Calgary Police Service will never call and ask citizens to provide financial information or transfer money”, CPS said in the news release. The police offered a few tips to help protect from financial scams.

They include, be suspicious of unexpected and unusual phone calls, especially ones demanding some form of urgent action, financial or otherwise; do not share personal details, financial information or send money to the unknown caller; our officers will never ask you to transfer money as part of an investigation or suggest transactions as a way to guard your finances; if you are suspicious of a call regarding your finances, contact your bank or financial institution.

Lastly, if you would like to confirm the identity of a Calgary Police Service Officer, call the non-emergency line to verify the individual.

Police are asking anyone who suffered financial loss or had their personal information compromised due to fraud to call the non-emergency line 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers using 1-800-222-8477 or the P3 APP or www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

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