Bay St. George RCMP: scammers spoof Stephenville detachment number
Bay St. George RCMP warn fraudsters across Canada are spoofing the Stephenville detachment line 709-643-2118 and posing as police. The RCMP is not involved.
- First reported
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Source: vocm.com · published
What happened
VOCM reported on 6 November 2026 that Bay St. George RCMP are warning the public about a telephone scam impersonating police in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. Police said people across the country have been receiving calls from fraudsters claiming to work with the RCMP, and that the caller ID appears to show 709-643-2118, which is the genuine main line of the Stephenville detachment. The detachment is impersonated; the number has been spoofed and the RCMP is not involved in the calls.
How the scam works
Caller ID spoofing lets fraudsters make a call appear to come from any number they choose. Showing a real police number makes the call seem official, and someone who looks the number up will find that it really belongs to the RCMP, which can make the call more convincing rather than less. According to police, the callers claim the person they reach is a victim of fraud or cybercrime. That story is used to obtain personal, financial and other sensitive information, often under the pretext of protecting the person's accounts or helping an investigation.
Calls of this type commonly escalate to requests to move money to a supposedly safe account, to buy gift cards or to install software that gives the caller remote access to a computer. The RCMP said it will never ask people to transfer money, request remote access to a computer, or ask for personal or banking details over the phone. According to the report, police also said that if a caller becomes pushy or demanding, people should abruptly terminate the connection.
Anyone who receives such a call should hang up and contact the police through official channels, using a number they look up themselves, rather than calling back on a number given by the caller. People who have shared information or sent money should contact their bank, report the call to local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Source
VOCM report, 6 November 2026: https://vocm.com/2026/11/06/the-exact-number-to-the-rcmp-detachment-is-calling-but-police-warn-it-may-be-fraudulent/
Red flags
- Caller ID showing a real police number such as 709-643-2118.
- A caller saying you are the victim of fraud or cybercrime.
- Requests for personal, banking or other sensitive information over the phone.
- Requests to transfer money, buy gift cards or allow remote access to your computer.
- A caller who becomes pushy or demanding when you hesitate.
If you were targeted
- 1Hang up, even if the caller ID shows a real police number.
- 2Call the police back on a number you find yourself, not one given by the caller.
- 3Never transfer money, give banking details or allow remote access to a caller.
- 4If you shared details or sent money, contact your bank at once.
- 5Report the call to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.