Police issue warning
By Castlegar Source
Police are warning residents and businesses alike to be wary of when and how they either give or receive private information such as credit card numbers.
Castlegar RCMP Cpl. Mike Mysko said many people are unaware that transmission over an average cordless phone or radio can be picked up by a third party with the use of a commercially-available scanner.
“We often ask people calling us whether they’re on a cordless phone before we accept private information,” he said. “People should be asking, before they offer personal details like credit card numbers, whether this call can be monitored using a scanner, and businesses should be aware that the information can be intercepted if they’re using a radio or cordless phone.”
He said there are digital cordless phones now that scramble the signal to better protect callers, but most are not secure, and it’s better to stick to landlines when sharing sensitive information.
Otherwise nefarious types may be able to scan your calls and get names, credit card numbers and expiry dates … all kinds of information that would make it easy for them to victimize you, or your customers.
For more information, contact the Castlegar RCMP detachment at 250-365-7721.
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