Image: City of Abbotsford / City of Abbotsford council members and Mayor Ross Siemens (centre) are pictured. The City of Abbotsford is warning Abbotsford residents to be aware of a telephone scam circulating in the community that appears to originate from the municipality itself.
Scam in Abbotsford
City of Abbotsford warns of telephone scam that appears to originate from city staff
Jul 17, 2024 | 12:40 PM
ABBOTSFORD — The City of Abbotsford is warning Abbotsford residents to be aware of a telephone scam circulating in the community that appears to originate from the municipality itself.
According to a statement Wednesday afternoon (July 17), residents are advised that these spoofing calls often involve alerting residents to an outstanding payment, prompting them to supply financial or other personal information over the phone. The City says these calls are fraudulent and have no relationship to any municipal employee. The City says while the scenarios presented in spoofing calls often vary, scams like this are not uncommon.
The City is offering tips to help recognize and protect yourself from a phishing, imposter or telephone scam:
- Never assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate
- Don’t click on links from unsolicited messages
- Don’t download attachments from unsolicited messages
- Watch for spelling mistakes
- Don’t trust a message just because the email address looks legitimate; fraudsters can spoof the address
- Beware of messages claiming to be from the Government of Canada or a law enforcement agency; they will never contact you to offer funds via email or e-transfer
