Ontario woman issues warning following Service Canada, OPP scam that cost her $50K

An Ontario woman is warning others after a fraudster impersonating a Service Canada employee convinced her to empty out $50,000 from her bank account.

An Ontario woman is warning others after a fraudster impersonating a Service Canada employee convinced her to empty out $50,000 from her bank account.

Anne Galt of Renfrew, Ont. told CTV News Toronto Thursday that she got a strange phone call in August from someone claiming to be with Service Canada.

“The man on the line said my social insurance number had been stolen and someone was doing illegal activities with it,” Galt said.

Your social insurance number (SIN) is a government-issued identifier needed to gain employment and access government programs. It should be kept highly confidential and if scammers get ahold of it, they can steal your identity and try to get into your bank accounts.

Earlier this year, Galt had her personal information – including her SIN – breached, so she says that when someone called her last month, saying they were from Service Canada and that her SIN had been stolen, she believed them.

“That’s what was part of what made this whole thing so believable," Galt said.

Galt said she was advised by the caller to speak with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and that during those conversations, her call display showed an OPP phone number, although now she believes the number was spoofed to make it appear it was the police when it wasn’t, she says.