Another Ontario police force is warning Rogers and Fido customers about a phone delivery scam that has already prompted alerts from several police services and left some victims facing thousands of dollars in charges.
The East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police issued the latest warning this week, saying scammers are calling customers with fake upgrade or loyalty offers before manipulating them into ordering real devices through their legitimate accounts. The warning follows a similar alert from South Simcoe Police in August, when officers said reports involving spoofed calls and promotional offers were increasing across Innisfil and Bradford.
The scam has also surfaced elsewhere in Canada. In August, we reported on a B.C. Rogers customer who was left owing more than $4,000 after two iPhones were ordered through her account. Back in May, we also detailed a similar version involving supposedly “free” iPads that left victims facing about $2,300 in charges.
According to East Algoma OPP, the scam starts with a call from someone pretending to represent Rogers. The caller may already have real account information, which can make the pitch sound legitimate. They offer a loyalty deal, plan upgrade or bundled discount and tell the customer to order a new phone or tablet through the official Rogers website.
Because the order is placed through the victim’s real account, an actual device arrives at their home. The scammer then calls back, usually claiming there was a mistake with the shipment, such as the wrong model or colour being sent, and emails a fake return label.
Instead of going back to Rogers, the phone or tablet is shipped to the scammer. The customer, meanwhile, is still responsible for the cost of the device. And bingo, that’s how you get screwed.
What makes the scam convincing is that victims are not usually asked for money upfront. Real hardware actually arrives at the door, making the whole thing feel legitimate until the device is gone and the charges remain on the account.
Police are reminding customers that caller ID can be spoofed and should not be treated as proof that a call is actually coming from Rogers or another telecom provider. East Algoma OPP recommends hanging up on unsolicited callers asking for account information, then contacting Rogers directly using an official phone number.
Customers should also avoid return labels sent through unexpected emails and never ship a device to an address supplied by an unsolicited caller. Anyone who believes they have been targeted should contact their wireless provider directly and report the incident to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
The easiest way to avoid getting scammed is to stop engaging with random calls and texts in the first place. Spam calls are constant these days, and one of the most useful iPhone features is Live Voicemail, introduced with iOS 17. It shows a real-time transcription while someone is leaving a message, so if it’s spam you can ignore it, and if it turns out to be legit, you can still pick up while the message is being recorded (which always freaks people out).
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I received that upgrade scam, almost fell for it. I asked for someone speaking French to review everything to make sure I understood everything in my most fluent language, that’s where the scammer got mad and hung up. It was really strange that he knew what phone I had and what plan I had.