The City of Parksville says they've seen an uptick in reports of spoofed calls being received by local residents. Scammers are using an emergency management number owned by the City to try and trick people out of money or personal information. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

fraudulent calls

Parksville emergency number being ‘spoofed’ by scammers

Sep 6, 2026 | 8:42 AM

PARKSVILLE — Scammers appear to be targeting Oceanside residents by using a local emergency management number.

The City of Parksville is reporting an uptick in residents receiving calls, apparently coming from the municipality’s Emergency Management number (250-954-4672), but it is in fact scammers soliciting sensitive information.

Known as spoofing, it’s a technique to make fraudulent calls appear to come from legitimate sources.

“The City wants to remind residents that we will never ask for sensitive personal information, banking information, passwords, or payment over the phone in an unsolicited call,” a notice from the City read. “This is especially important for seniors and vulnerable members of our community who are often targeted by scammers.”

The emergency management number being targeted is connected to the City’s Voyent Alert! application, used to send out information in an emergency situation.

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Residents can sign up for Voyent Alert! through the City’s website, with the system also in use across the Regional District of Nanaimo, including Qualicum Beach and Nanaimo.

The City said in their notice they’re working with telecommunications professionals to try and stop the calls, but admit “there isn’t a lot that can be done when scam callers are masking their identity by using a random number.”

“If you receive a suspicious call that appears to come from one of the City’s phone numbers, please use caution. If you are unsure whether a call is legitimate, hang up and directly contact the phone number listed on our official website.”

Scam calls, regardless of whether they use spoofing or not, will often look to create a sense of urgency and make unsolicited requests for sensitive information including passwords, credit card numbers or Social Insurance Numbers.

They will often demand payment through non-traditional sources, including cryptocurrency or gift cards.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Parksville emergency number being ‘spoofed’ by scammers

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