The Vancouver Fire Rescue Service (VFRS) is warning locals to be cautious as scammers are trying to collect money for the fire department.
"We have been notified that calls have been made where scammers are trying to collect money on behalf of the Fire Department. These messages are not from VFRS, as we do not try to collect money from people from calling, texting, or emailing," states the city's fire department in a social media post.
Aggressive callers asking for monetary donations reported
VFRS was alerted to the issue recently when a Vancouver resident called to complain about an aggressive caller requesting a financial donation to the department, spokesperson Matthew Trudeau tells V.I.A.
"The concern is that if one person has gotten this phone call, there may be others who have gotten them that we don’t know about," he explains to V.I.A. in an email.
While VFRS does make some calls, like to building operators or owners, around billing for things like permits, it's handled by their accounting staff. Any fines or charges dealt out by the VFRS are handled by the City of Vancouver.
He adds that the Vancouver Police Department has been contacted in regards to the scam.
How to donate to legitimate organizations associated with Vancouver firefighters
For those who do want to donate to the fire department in some way, there are things like the Burn Fund (which is associated with the Stanley Park Christmas train and Bright Nights) and the Vancouver Firefighter Charities (which does a variety of things including the firefighters' calendar).
Warning ⚠️ Scam Alert: We have been notified that calls have been made where scammers are trying to collect money on behalf of the Fire Department. These messages are not from VFRS, as we do not try to collect money from people from calling, texting or emailing. pic.twitter.com/59M6gR5fwu
— Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (@VanFireRescue) December 6, 2023
