Town responds to 'sophisticated' phone scam targeting residents

Table of Contents

In late 2021, two Stony Plain residents were the target of a ‘sophisticated’ phone scam requesting tax payments be made by credit card to the Town. File photo. Postmedia

The Town of Stony Plain is spreading awareness about a recent phone scam targeting residents.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Last last year, two residents were targeted by a caller who was claiming to be a Town representative seeking overdue tax payments. The caller extended an offer to these residents to pay their taxes over the phone via credit card. The Town, however, does not accept tax payments by credit card.

The troubling aspect of the otherwise standard con was the scammer’s caller ID matched that of the Town’s. This detail, as well as the time of day the calls were received (non-business hours), raised red flags with the victims who were quick to report the incidents to the Town.

“(The scammers) are getting a little bit more intelligent with the sophistication behind their schemes. They’re doing a little bit more research by cloning our caller ID and intentionally seeking out individuals who live in the Parkland region,” said Adam Scharmann, the Town’s Manager of Technology Services.

After completing an internal investigation and review of its phone system logs, the Town was able to confirm the calls did not…