Woman refuses bank scam, caller triggers armed police response

A Canadian woman who refused to follow instructions from a suspected bank fraudster was left shaken when police arrived at her home after a false report that she was being held hostage.

The incident happened on October 23 in Lower Truro, Nova Scotia, after a caller falsely reported that three armed individuals were holding a woman at a home on Tideview Drive.

Colchester County District RCMP said Truro Police Service passed on the report at about 9.45am. Officers from both services responded and found the woman safe inside the property.

Police later established that the report was linked to an attempted bank fraud. The RCMP is investigating the incident as swatting, a hoax emergency call intended to trigger a large-scale police response.

The woman, identified by CBC News as Lynn Clark Colpitts, told the broadcaster the incident began with a call from someone claiming to work in the fraud department of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

The caller told her someone had applied for credit in her name and urged her to download an app called CIBC Guard to block the application.

Colpitts said she was uncomfortable providing banking information over the phone. She contacted a work colleague instead, who advised her to speak directly to her bank branch before taking any action.

According to police, the caller became agitated when she refused to follow the instructions and called again, telling her there was a surprise waiting at her front door.

Colpitts told CBC the second call came about 20 minutes after the first. When she looked outside, she saw a large police presence at her home.

Fake hostage report

Police said the caller's false report of an armed hostage situation prompted officers from both services to respond.

“This incident highlights how far scammers are willing to go when their schemes are challenged,” said S/Sgt. Marc Rose of Colchester County District RCMP.

“By falsely reporting an armed hostage situation, they caused a significant deployment of police resources for an event that never occurred.”

Rose commended Colpitts for verifying the information before acting and urged others to do the same when contacted about suspected fraud.