Niagara police warn of new fraud scam impersonating Crown Attorney’s Office

Niagara Regional Police is warning residents of a new fraud scam involving people impersonating the Crown Attorney’s Office and demanding money.

Officers say residents report being called from someone claiming to be a representative of a local Crown Attorney’s Office, alleging they are the victim of identity theft.

They say the call display appears to show the legitimate phone number of the Crown Attorney’s Office, sometimes even using real attorney names associated with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — identifying themselves as “officer Shawn Diaz” for example.

The caller then instructs them to make payments through what they describe as “government-approved ATMs” or to deposit envelopes of cash into designated drop boxes.

Investigators say the “government-approved ATMs” are actually Bitcoin machines, which are not regulated.

They say once funds are deposited into these machines, it is extremely difficult to recover the money.

Detectives say the scam has been reported to be impacting people in other jurisdictions.

Niagara police confirm that members of the Crown Attorney’s Office, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre will never contact individuals and direct them to make payments of any kind.

Officers are warning residents to remain vigilant and exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited phone calls, texts or emails from unknown sources.

Anyone contacted by someone claiming to represent a government agency or financial institution should verify the information themselves by contacting the organization directly using a trusted source — a phone number on the back of a bank or credit card for example.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud or identity theft is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service at (905) 688–4111, option 1.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Niagara online here, or by calling 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).

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