A fraudulent letter is currently being received by people in West Shore, prompting the RCMP to issue a warning about its contents.

The letter claims to be from the RCMP and, according to police, attempts to intimidate recipients into paying fines to avoid criminal charges. 

Letters are marked as coming from the RCMP’s National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3).

Typically, the letters accuse the recipients of criminal offences involving child sexual exploitation material and state that if the fine isn’t paid within 24 hours, criminal prosecution, along with publicly releasing the person’s name, will occur. 

The RCMP is warning the public that this is not how Canadian law enforcement runs criminal investigations and that the letters are not from the RCMP. 

“The fraudsters behind these letters are relying on fear and urgency to manipulate victims into complying with their demands,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar, Media Relations Officer, West Shore RCMP. 

“If you receive one of these letters, do not respond, do not send money, and do not provide any personal or financial information.”