Thunder Bay Police warn of scam that orders new phones in your name
Key points
- Thunder Bay Police warned on Friday about callers who pose as a cell provider and offer a phone upgrade, loyalty discount or other promotion.
- The scammer uses personal or account information to order a phone through a legitimate provider, then sends the victim to return it to an address the scammer controls.
- Multiple devices may be sent to the same address, and police say scammers may already have some of the victim's personal information.
- Victims can report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or through Thunder Bay Police Service's online fraud and cybercrime report. The local non-emergency line is 807-684-1200.
Thunder Bay Police are warning residents about a scam in which callers pose as a cell service provider and get new phones shipped in the victim’s name. Police issued the warning on Friday after someone reported being contacted by a person claiming to represent their provider.
The caller may offer a phone upgrade, a loyalty discount or another promotional deal. Using personal or account information, the scammer then orders a device through a legitimate provider. Police say the scammer may already have some of the victim’s personal information before making contact.
Once the phone arrives, the victim may get another call from someone claiming to be from the provider. In some cases the scammers wait for the victim to call them about the unexpected shipment, and multiple devices may be sent to the same address. When victims ask about the package, scammers may give a fraudulent return address or send a prepaid shipping label. The package is then redirected to an address the scammer controls instead of going back to the real company. The tactic is similar to earlier Canadian phone-return and delivery scams that used fake return steps to steal handsets.
Anyone who thinks they have been targeted can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or through Thunder Bay Police Service’s online fraud and cybercrime report. For local non-emergencies, police list 807-684-1200.
