The RCMP are cautioning the public about a cyber-scam making the rounds in at least two provinces so far, where the sender of the e-mail claims to be an RCMP officer, and that the recipient is the subject of a fraud investigation. 

The scam was first reported to the Nova Scotia RCMP Thursday. In the scam, the sender requests personal and banking information, using the name of an RCMP officer who was previously a public information officer for the RCMP in Nova Scotia. The email is written in French and contains text similar to official RCMP communications. The e-mail address and phone number included in the e-mail are not legitimate. 

The RCMP advised that they do not inform people of an investigation via e-mail, and remind people to not provide personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Also, government agencies or police forces will never demand payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency. 

Those who have been targeted in a phone or computer scam are encouraged to contact their local police agency, as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.