Refugees and newcomers are being warned of an escalating telephone scam with those behind it using the publicly available names and numbers of government officials on caller ID to make the calls appear legitimate.

The federal government and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre have been warning of such scams for years, but the latest twist in tactics targeting newcomers recently prompted the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to issue a new alert about fraudulent calls.

“Victims have reported receiving telephone calls from persons claiming to be representatives of the IRB and being told they are under investigation and owe money. In some cases, these calls seem to be coming from the IRB or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” the IRB warning says.

An earlier warning by the board said some of the targeted people actually had asylum hearings before it, but officials told the Star they have no idea how the callers tracked down the information, which is not public.

In 2018 alone, more than 22,000 people received extortion calls from fraudsters claiming to be from the immigration department, the refugee board or the Canada Revenue Agency, with almost 1,500 falling victim to the phone scams and forking over $6.4 million, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which is jointly managed by the RCMP, the Competition Bureau and the OPP.

IRB spokesperson Anna Pape said the tactics involved in the scams targeting immigrants and refugees keep evolving and are becoming more sophisticated.

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“We received a report from someone saying they had been called by numbers appearing to be from the refugee board, another government department, and their local police service, all in a row. No suspects have been identified as of yet and it is an ongoing investigation,” she said.

“The board is continuing to work with law enforcement agencies, government partners, stakeholders and, of course, the media to raise awareness and prevent more victims of this scam.”

Pape said scam artists are spoofing info on call display so that the name and number of a legitimate refugee board staffer would appear as the source of the call telling victims they were under investigation and owed money. The fraudsters would then demand payment in cash, bitcoin and even iTunes cards. The IRB has recently been getting as many as 17 reports a day from people saying they have been targeted.

The callers usually demand $1,000, said Pape, adding some unsuspecting individuals have ended up making the payments.

“These types of fraud are not just random and there is a degree of sophistication that requires some sort of organized criminal group or element in order to commit these frauds,” the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre told the Star in an email.

“While we don’t know the specific technologies fraudsters are using, we know that they rely on the ability to spoof a number which in turn makes that call more believable to a potential victim.”

Advocates said refugees and newcomers are particularly vulnerable to these scams because they are new to the country and unfamiliar with the way things work.

“When they get a call from somebody of authority about immigration, they know it’s going to be a big decision because these officials hold a lot of power. It puts them at higher risk,” said Jenn McIntyre, director of Romero House, a Toronto refugee shelter. “This is a very common type of scam you and I are used to, we would just hang up.”

As a refugee, Isabel Velosa is no stranger to frightening situations, having fled violence in her native Colombia for the safety of Canada.

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But the Toronto mother of three found herself reduced to tears when she received a threatening phone call from a woman claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and demanding she fork over $5,000 or face jail.

“She spoke in an authoritative voice. She knew my name. She had my number,” recalled a still-shaken Velosa, who left Colombia six years ago. “She said if I don’t pay, they would send someone to my place to arrest me and I must stay on the line and can’t tell anybody.”

Velosa said she spent 30 minutes on the phone pleading with the caller not to apprehend her, telling her truthfully she only had $30 in the bank. Velosa’s sobbing — and likely, her lack of funds — ultimately helped her avoid becoming a victim of the scam when she was targeted last spring.

Debbie Hill-Corrigan, executive director of Sojourn House, said the Toronto refugee shelter has publicized the refugee board warning on its website and on social media.

“There’s a lot to be concerned about. How do these guys know a person is a refugee? Where did they get the contact information?” Hill-Corrigan asked. “The best we can do is make a concerted effort to inform and educate our clients.”

Pape said the refugee board would never ask people for money or payment of any kind and recipients of these calls should immediately hang up and contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Extortion calls from fraudulent tax and immigration agents:

2014: 1,559 reports, 136 victims, $302,890 in losses;

2015: 15,647 reports, 765 victims, $2.4M in losses;

2016: 23,919 reports, 1,195 victims, $3.6M in losses;

2017: 12,284 reports, 812 victims, $3M in losses;

2018: 22,419 reports, 1,490 victims, $6.4M in losses;

Jan. 1 to March 31, 2019: 1,160 reports, 154 victims, $600,000 in losses.

Source: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

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