The
Gatineau Police Service
has issued a warning about a telephone
scam
in which fraudsters claim to be police officers after starting about 50 such cases in February.
A media release from Gatineau police said those 50 cases, which followed the opening of five others in January, were among 60 fraud cases opened this month.
In 2025, nearly 100 such cases were reported, the release said, adding that most of the victims of this kind of fraud were between 71 and 84 years of age.
Police underlined that an officer would never ask a fraud victim to hand over personal identification cards and numbers or to increase their credit limits, but rather would advise the victims to contact their banks to cancel those cards.
As well, while it is possible that some property may be returned to the victim during an investigation, police do not handle the reimbursement of stolen funds.
The advisory from Gatineau police asked anyone receiving a call from someone claiming to be a police officer and telling them that they have been the victim of a crime to hang up and call the local police station.
Never give personal information, credit or debit card numbers or personal identification numbers to someone whose identity you cannot verify, police added.
