If someone claiming to be from Ontario's police watchdog agency calls and asks for your social insurance number, hang up immediately.
In a statement to the public on Thursday, officials with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said the calls appear to be coming from 1-800-787-8529. In some cases, the person is told that there is something wrong with their Social Insurance Number, and that if they don’t continue with the call by pressing one or two, the person will be charged or jailed.
"Please be aware that the SIU does not contact individuals by phone for this type of personal information," the unit said in the statement. "If you have witnessed or you possess information regarding an SIU case, please continue to contact us at 1-800-787-8529."
The SIU is telling individuals who think that have been affected by the fraudulent phone calls to contact the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre or Canada's do not call list.
The statement does not indicate if anyone has been victimized by the scam.