Got a call from someone speaking Mandarin and the call display says it is from Calgary? There is a an aggressive phone scam making the rounds. Currently their target is Canadian Chinese but there is concern it could spread.

Fraudsters are impersonating government agencies calling victims and telling them their personal information has been compromised and as a result they are suspected of laundering money or extortion. The victims are told the only way they can clear their names is by transferring money to a special account for financial review. In two cases, the criminals were able to convince Calgary college students to cut off all contact with everyone except the fraudster and call family telling them they had been kidnapped and ransom needed to be paid. Fortunately, the Calgary Police Service were able to locate the fake kidnapping victims, however a large number of resources were consumed at tax payers expense.

If you receive a phone call threatening you with arrest or legal action get the name of the individual and the agency they are calling from, then tell them you will call them back and hang up. Do a Google search to find the contact information for that agency and call them asking for the individual who called. Do not use a phone number that someone on the phone has given you. If they are a legitimate agency, you will be able to contact them from the information you find in a Google search.

Source:

• (2018, May 28) Lu Xu,  ‘ Calgary being haunted by “virtual kidnappings”‘
  The Calgary Herald, A9