Thunder Bay Police Warn of Scam That Orders New Phones in Your Name

Residents in the Thunder Bay area are being warned about callers who claim to work for a cell provider and then arrange phone shipments that never make it back to the company. The pattern sits alongside other Canadian warnings about people posing as banks and telecom carriers.

Thunder Bay Police said on Friday that someone reported being contacted by a person claiming to represent their cell service provider. The caller may offer a phone upgrade, a loyalty discount or another promotional deal.

Using personal or account information, the scammer then orders a device through a legitimate service provider. Police say the scammer may already possess some of the victim’s personal information before making contact.

After the device arrives, the victim may get another call from someone claiming to represent the service provider. In some cases the scammers wait for the victim to call them about the unexpected shipment, and multiple devices may be sent to the same address.

When victims ask about the unexpected package, scammers may give a fraudulent return address or send a prepaid shipping label. The package is then redirected to an address controlled by the scammer rather than the legitimate company, a tactic that echoes earlier Canadian phone-return scams and delivery scams that also used fake return steps to steal handsets.

How to protect yourself

Police advise a few simple checks before you act on an unsolicited upgrade offer or an unexpected shipping label:

• Avoid buying products through unsolicited phone calls. Contact the company directly to verify any offers.
• Do not use unexpected return labels without confirming they are legitimate.
• Contact your provider directly about deals. Use the official phone number on the company’s website to verify any return request.
• Check your account through the provider’s official app or website for unfamiliar orders or changes.

Anyone who thinks they have been targeted can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or through Thunder Bay Police Service’s online fraud and cybercrime report. For local non-emergencies, police list 807-684-1200.

Have you ever gotten an unexpected phone shipment after a cold call about an upgrade?