Gordon Sims, RCMP crime prevention officer for Rossland and region, is warning citizens of fraudulent telephone calls where the caller identifies himself or herself as an RCMP office calling to collect fines or income taxes or a variety of other scam tactics.
The caller threatens the victims that they must pay immediately or be arrested within 24 hours.
The RCMP would like to remind residents that they never make contact with individuals for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes and would never ask anyone from the public to make a payment over the telephone.
Anyone who receives a call from someone alleging to be a police officer making any kind of collection should hang up immediately and contact the local RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (toll free) at 1-888-495-8501.