Police warn of financial scam involving calls from fictitious officers

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

Earlier this month, a man attended a district office to report suspicious phone calls he received where the person on the other end was trying to extort money from him.

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. 

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.

The victim then contacted the fictitious officer over the phone and 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.

The victim was immediately suspicious and contacted his bank to report the incident, and fortunately did not lose any money.

The Calgary Police Service will never call and ask citizens to provide financial information or transfer money.

Citizens are reminded of the following tips to protect themselves from financial scams:

• 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.
• If you would like to confirm the identity of a Calgary Police Service officer, call the non-emergency line to verify the individual.

Anyone who has suffered a financial loss or who has had their personal information compromised because of fraud can report it to the Calgary Police Service by contacting the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
APP: P3 Tips

If you have received a fraudulent text message, email or phone call but have not sustained a financial loss, please report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.