Saskatoon

Scam caller impersonating Saskatoon police threatens residents with arrest

A scam caller pretending to be a member of the Saskatoon Police Service has been threatening citizens with arrest if they refuse to hand over personal information.

Police service says anyone who receives a similar call should report it to police

Saskatoon police are warning the public that the city's residents are being targeted by a phone scam in which the caller pretends to be a police officer. (Saskatoon Police Service/Twitter)

A scam caller pretending to be a member of the Saskatoon Police Service has been threatening citizens with arrest if they refuse to hand over personal information. 

The real police service issued a warning to the public on Friday after receiving more than 30 calls about the scam since early that morning.

Police said people who received the call were told they had "violated federal laws." The caller then demanded they hand over their Social Insurance Number and postal code.

The scammer then called back a second time and threatened that the person on the line would be arrested if they did not provide their personal information.

The Saskatoon Police Service said anyone who receives one of the calls should hang up, ignore the caller's directions and contact police.

It also asked anyone who has received a similar call to file an online report with both the Saskatoon Police Service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.