Overview
- A woman in Lower Truro told callers she would not download an app after someone claiming to be from her bank urged her to install it, and she added her company IT support to the call to verify the claim.
- After she declined the scammer’s instructions and said she would contact her bank independently, the caller became abusive and a separate false report led police to respond to her home with heavily armed officers.
- Colchester County District RCMP and Truro Police located the woman safe and opened an investigation into the false hostage report and the phone scam that preceded it.
- The victim reports ongoing threatening messages and online harassment, and police stressed that swatting is a dangerous escalation used to intimidate or punish people who resist scams.
- Authorities urged people to hang up on suspicious callers, verify contact by calling their bank directly using known numbers, and call 911 only for real threats as enforcement works to trace anonymous fraudsters across jurisdictions.