Earlier this week, a number of residents in Weyburn received phone calls with the Caller ID showing the number as originating from the Weyburn Police Service. Once they picked up the phone, though, they discovered it was someone entirely different, as the non-emergency number for the Weyburn Police Service was being spoofed.

Spoofing is where the caller, usually from an offshore call center using an auto-dialer, has a local phone number show up on the Caller ID. With very few exceptions, these phone calls are scams, intended to separate the person on the receiving end of the call from their money.

Police Chief Marlo Pritchard explained while the calls are illegal, the way they are made can make enforcement very difficult. It is compounded when the caller is overseas. There aren’t many options available in terms of enforcement, and in the case of calls coming from outside Canada, tracking down the source can be tough.

That said, Pritchard said there are some steps you can take to ensure you aren’t being scammed when receiving one of those calls.

“If you’ve got another cell phone or something like that, you can always put that phone on hold, and call us,” he stated. Pointed questions are also good at determining the legitimacy of the call. The requests made can also be key to knowing if the call is legitimate or not.

If you do receive a call you suspect may be a scammer, it is recommended to not provide any personal information on the call, and to verify the identification of the person calling.