Halifax Regional Police are warning people after a fraudster hacked into a woman’s phone and was able to access her location while demanding money.
Officials said the call took place on Jan. 23 around 5:50 p.m. The 26-year-old woman got a phone call from someone pretending to be a Canada Border Services Agency officer.
They said that the woman’s spouse was arrested and would be deported unless she paid their bail.
The scammer gave the victim instructions on how to withdraw the money and how it would be collected. During the process, the fraudster had taken control of the victim’s phone allowing them to know where she as at all times and forced her to stay on the line.
In an email to CityNews, HRP said officers have not confirmed how the scammer was able to track the victim’s location.
“It is believed the victim’s phone had been compromised at some point, which led to the spoofed phone call,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
According to police, the suspect gave the victim instructions to enter numbers on her phone and download an app, which investigators believe potentially contributed to the fraudster gaining access to her phone’s information.
This is the only case HRP is investigating where someone was impersonating a border agent.
“Halifax Regional Police remind people not to be pressured to act immediately. Scammers try to create a sense of urgency so you will take immediate action and not have time to think the situation through or consult someone else,” officials said.
Halifax police were called for 81 reported scams last year, down from 116 in 2024 and 148 in 2023.