The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is warning Canadians to beware of unsolicited calls asking for personal and financial information, after it learned of suspicious incidents involving telephone calls that appear to come from the FCAC Consumer Service Centre.

Callers pretending to be from the service centre have reportedly been asking consumers for their social insurance numbers and credit card information.

“Be aware that a caller ID is not a good indicator of who is calling,” the FCAC said in a statement. “Fraudsters may change the information that appears on the caller ID display, a practice known as caller ID spoofing, to misrepresent themselves in an effort to commit identity theft.”

It says the FCAC does not initiate contact with consumers or ask for personal or financial information. The organization advises anyone who receives an unsolicited call to take the caller’s name, company name and department, then end the call; verify that information by looking for a telephone number on your credit card or statement and call the company directly. Those who think they may be a victim of fraud are encouraged to report the fraud to the Government of Canada Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.