The Barrie Police Service is warning people in Barrie, Ontario, about a rise in fake phone calls where scammers pretend to be from well-known companies. These callers try to steal personal or financial details by asking residents to confirm information the scammer already seems to have.
Criminals are using technology to hide their real phone numbers so a call looks like it is coming from a trusted business on a caller ID. Identity fraud was the most reported scam in Canada last year, with over 8,400 cases handled by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
In 2025, Canadians reported losing more than $704 million to fraud, though officials believe only 5 to 10 per cent of victims actually report these crimes. Scammers are now using artificial intelligence to create messages without spelling errors and voice-cloning tools to impersonate family members who claim they need bail money.
Locally, some residents have received emails with fake police badges and identification cards to make a scam look more legitimate. In other cases, seniors in the city were told to hand over their credit cards to a person acting as a courier after someone pretending to be from bank security called them.
Officers say you should never share sensitive information with an unexpected caller and should always contact a company directly using an official number to verify any requests. If you have been targeted, you can call the Barrie Police Service non-emergency line at 705-725-7025 or report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
