DELTA Police are alerting residents about scammers using the name of the Delta Police Department to target residents in one of two scams currently operating.

In the first scam, the fraudsters claim to be fundraising for the “Delta Police Anti-bullying Initiative.”  The callers are using an unidentified or blocked telephone number and requesting credit card donations for the “Anti-bullying Initiative.”  The scammers are looking to obtain the victim’s credit card info.

“As a reminder to residents, while we do take part in anti-bullying programs, there is NO “Delta Police Anti-Bullying Initiative” run by the DPD and we do not solicit donations via phone or email,” said A/Sgt. Sarah Swallow.

The second scam is a well-documented one in which scammers call or email potential victims pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).  The goal of these scams is to access your personal and / or banking information and put it in the hands of the scammers.

Often, the scammers add an air of legitimacy to their scam by using phone spoofing apps or programs that allow them to display callback numbers legitimately associated to the businesses they pretend to be calling from. You can read more about the CRA scams at the Canada Revenue Agency website.

To protect yourself against scammers:

* Never provide personal information over the phone unless you are speaking to a trusted, confirmed source;

* Do your research: before providing any personal information or donating any money hang up and double check the information through sources you trust and have identified yourself;

* Do not click on any links in unsolicited emails;

* If in doubt, delete the email or hang up the phone;

* Report attempted frauds to your local police department even if you did not lose any money: your reports can help police warn and protect others.