Police warn residents about police fraudsters 

Sophie Demers 

The Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) is warning residents of telephone fraudsters who are posing as Gatineau police officers. They warn this can be happening across the region as well.

Recently, the SPVG were made aware that a group of fraudsters had stolen money from a citizen of Gatineau by posing as an officer. The fraudster, in this case a woman, calls and asks the victim to sit down because she has bad news to relay. She introduces herself as an officer from the SPVG and tells the victim that the police have arrested someone who had committed fraud against them. The fake police officer tells the victim that they had stolen $2,000. 

Then another fraudster joins the call, identifying himself as an SPVG sergeant. The fake sergeant tells the victim that he can fix the situation and return the victim’s money but they will have to provide their banking information. The victim will be told not to hang up the phone and then instructed to put all their bank cards in an envelope with their pins, put it in their mailbox and return to the phone. The fraudsters tell the victim that they are checking the position of the policeman who will go and collect their cards, saying that the victim should see them at any minute. 

While the victim is on the phone, the suspect gets the bank cards and makes cash withdrawals. Once the withdrawals are made, the fraudsters say they will follow up the next day and hang up the phone. 

According to the Gatineau Police, an officer will never ask a victim of fraud to give them their personal identification numbers or their bank cards. They will ask victims to call their banking institution and cancel their cards. If money is stolen, it is not the police who reimburse the victim. 

SPVG fraud prevention tips 

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a police officer, hang up and dial the local police station. Fraudsters are able to display any number on your phone. 

Never give personal identification or credit and debit information over the phone to someone who cannot confirm their identity. If in doubt, end the call and contact your local police.