Scam alert: Fraudulent emails impersonating RCMP

The RCMP and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre are warning of a circulating email scam. CTV Windsor’s Stefanie Masotti reports.

An email scam is circulating making serious allegations of viewing child pornography.

What the email says

• “...you have committed crimes, viewed prohibited websites and shared nude images of minors (punishable by imprisonment for 5 to 15 years or payment of a mandatory fixed fine).
• “...we request your response within 24 hours. Otherwise, you will be registered as a sex offender and we will file criminal charges against you...”

“It’s not all that difficult to go online, find a crest, download them on to a PDF and make something that looks real. It isn’t,” said Chris Lewis, Former OPP Commissioner. “Notify the RCMP. They are well aware this is occurring.”

Lewis notes there are spelling and grammar errors. The request also refers to a state instead of a province.

A closer look at the headline reads Royal Canadian Mountain Police instead of Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The email appears to come from an email address almost identical to the RCMP’s legitimate address. The real email address uses a hyphen and ends in .ca instead of .org.

A Google search of ‘[e-mail]’ also identifies the address as a scam that is part of an ongoing fraudulent phishing campaign imitating the RCMP.

“If the RCMP are after you because you’ve got something on your computer, they are not going to send you an email to warn you,” added Lewis. “They come through your door with a search warrant and seize all your stuff.”

What to do if you receive the email

• Do not reply to the email
• Do not click any links or open attachments
• Delete the email immediately
• Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre