Hamilton Police warn residents of iTunes gift card scam

If someone calls you directlyabout a debt or fee owedand asks you to pay it off with an iTunes gift card, don't do it, say police.

This is probably a scam.

The Hamilton Police are reminding residents to keep an eye out for these types of fraudulentcalls, becauselately, they've been on the rise.

Officers said there have been an increase in the number of complaints involving suspects who are telephoning victims and directing them to pay a debt or fee by purchasing iTunes gift cards.

Severalscenarios that have beenused in this scam include:

• Callers claiming to be withCanada Revenue Agency, informing the victim of an unpaid debt.
• Callers claiming to be with Immigration Canada, threatening deportation or loss of passport if a debt isn't paid.
• Callers claiming to be from a lottery sweepstakes organization, requesting money in order to send a large lottery prize.

In these scenarios, the fraudulent caller asks the victim to go to an instructed location, purchase iTunes gift cards and provide the codes on the back to the caller.

Police are asking anyone who receives a call like this to report it, by calling 905-546-4925. Anonymous calls can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-900-222-8477.