Police Warn of CRA Phone Scam

North Bay Police are warning of a new scam in Northern Ontario and is urging people to ignore phone calls from those who claim to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Such scams are fraudulent says law enforcement, with callers claiming to be from the CRA to extract identity and even financial data from unsuspecting members of the public. The scam artists use this information for purposes of identity theft and to steal money, and as it usually the case, police are saying vulnerable people such as the aged should be extra vigilant.

One scam method is for the caller to pose as a CRA agent and say that the owner will be arrested, taken to jail, or have bank account seized if payments are not made immediately. Callers typically ask for the victim to pay money instantly through a credit card, so people should be extra careful about any calls that demand credit card payments.

If you get such a call, hang up immediately and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by telephone at 1-888-495-8501 (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) or through their online reporting tool at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm

If you suspect you or a family member may be a victim of fraud or have been tricked into giving personal or financial information, contact police.

The Canada Revenue Agency:

•never requests prepaid credit cards;

•never asks for information about your passport, health card, or driver’s licence;

•never shares your taxpayer information with another person, unless you have provided the appropriate authorization; and

•never leaves personal information on your answering machine or asks you to leave a message containing your personal information on an answering machine.

For more information on the Canada Revenue Agency and this telephone scam, visit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/security

North Bay Police Adopts New Larger Vehicles

It seems the current patrol cars used by North Bay police to stop traffic offenders and respond to more serious crimes are not quite good enough. The North Bay Police Service says it has moved some of its old Crown Victoria vehicles and replaced them with a Ford Interceptor Sedan, which is a bit smaller and apparently too small for cops and even prisoners in the back.
047891f0-63fc-436e-b9a6-8d9cb4ea8390
So, the North Bay Police Service is looking to switch to something a bit bigger, and has been showing off its (definitely big enough) brand new Ford Explorer all-wheel patrol vehicles.

“We have met with the Police Association and the reality of it is, the patrol vehicle is the office for front line officers, often spending 12 hours in those vehicles,” said Chief Devine to the media after showing both the Board members the size difference between an SUV to the smaller Interceptor.

“Obviously it gave the board an opportunity to look at the interior space that was both available for the officers and for loading and unloading prisoners in the back of the vehicle. I think if you have a look at the comparison between the back seat of this and the back seat of an Explorer, I would suggest there is almost twice as much room in the back to be able to load and unload prisoners.”

Devine insists that the bigger choice is really not about comfort, but more about how the vehicles offer more space and can also travel to more inaccessible terrain.

“Once you look at the police vehicle and you look at the package that is in there, there’s a cage with bars in the back which limits the amount of space the seat is able to go back so when you factor in even someone my size – I don’t get into the cruisers that much anymore, but at 6’5” it’s really restrictive and I think we have to recognize that generally the population is growing and we have larger statured people that we are transporting and we have to recognize that.”

“You have to remember when officers are out there, they are not just wearing personal dress, they are also wearing about 70 pounds of equipment,” said Devine.