Durham residents being targeted by ‘Broken Phone’ scam

Durham Regional Police are warning public regarding a new scam that has been doing the rounds in the area.

Dubbed the ‘Broken Phone’ scam, scammers exploit trust and urgency by sending text messages impersonating family members in need of immediate financial assistance to fix their allegedly broken phone.

Police are advising residents to verify the request with the alleged family member before taking any action on the request to send money via e-transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards is crucial, as it could likely be a scam.

To protect themselves from falling victim to such scams, police say “individuals should not solely rely on caller ID names and phone numbers.”

“As scammers often employ spoofing techniques to manipulate the displayed information.”

The ‘Broken Phone Scam’ is a recent addition to the ever-evolving repertoire of fraudulent tactics employed by scammers.

If anyone has fallen victim to this type of fraud or any other scam, they are encouraged to report the incident online at drps.ca