The City of Charlottetown is warning residents and businesses of a phone scam where a caller claims to be fundraising for the Charlottetown Fire Department (CFD) and asks for donations in response to the recent snowstorm. The City, including CFD, will never call residents to ask directly for financial donations.
“It’s disheartening that fraudsters are attempting to take advantage of our residents’ and businesses’ goodwill towards our community and CFD,” says Fire Chief Tim Mamye. “If we run a fundraiser, we make sure we publicize it through the local media and social media. You should never be discouraged from calling one of our fire stations to ask if we’re fundraising for anything; it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Charlottetown Police Services (CPS) Chief Brad MacConnell encourages people to report any suspicious calls to the non-emergency line at (902) 629-4172.
Chief MacConnell also advises people to be cautious when asked to provide financial and personal information of any kind. Scammers may pretend to be a family member, a friend, from a local organization, and more. If someone suspects a scam, he says they should take action to protect themself from potential damage or loss:
• Stop all communication with the scammer right away.
• Never provide personal, credit card or online account details to someone claiming to be from your bank or another organization. If you’re suspicious, ask for
the caller's contact information, hang up, and call the institution to confirm.
• Report the scam or fraud to CPS non-emergency line.
Visit the
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for more information on protecting yourself from a potential phishing scam.