OSHAWA – The City of Oshawa is notifying residents of a scam targeting community members in which the caller identifies themselves as acting on behalf of Oshawa Fire Services and/or the Oshawa Professional Firefighters Association (O.P.F.F.A.). The caller asks for donations of varying amounts for muscular dystrophy.
Oshawa Fire Services and O.P.F.F.A. are not undertaking this sort of activity. Community members who receive such a call are reminded that these are not Oshawa Fire Services or O.P.F.F.A. staff, and they are not acting on behalf of Oshawa Fire Services or O.P.F.F.A. This is not a legitimate campaign.
Those who receive a call like this should hang up immediately and not provide any payment or personal information to the caller. Individuals who received a call like this and have a monetary loss as a result are encouraged to report it to Durham Region Police Service at 905-579-1520.
How to protect yourself:
- Contact Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311 to confirm any requests made on behalf of the City of Oshawa or Oshawa Fire Services.
- Exercise caution if you are asked to provide personal information (e.g., banking information, password).
- If you suspect fraud, you can report it to your local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501), a national service jointly operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Competition Bureau.
