Kim Mazerolle knew she was the target of a scam the moment the phone conversation began.
On Thursday morning, Mazerolle received a call on her landline. The caller claimed to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.
The caller told her police would be arresting her at her home within the hour, that she'd be brought before a judge and charged over $50,000.
Her passport and driver's license would be revoked. Her job was at risk. All she owed, they said, was $2,486.
She immediately fumbled for her cell phone to record the conversation.
"I had seen a clip on the news the day before regarding these scams and when I got the call, I thought, 'it's happening to me. I have to record this,'" Mazerolle said.
The caller didn't request money in the first conversation so Mazerolle called back, wanting to see how far it would go.
She was informed the police hadn't arrived yet because the cruiser was "punctured" on the way to her home.
All she had to do to avoid having her assets seized was to send $1,000 through a credit transfer agency. When she refused to give banking information over the phone, the man became frustrated, threatened she would be imprisoned and spouted obscenities.
"I was so shocked. It was actually a threatening call. It was very threatening. My life was going to be over, basically. I'm sitting there going, 'these people are just taking it for all they have.'"
Thunder Bay Police Service executive officer Chris Adams said there little local authorities can do about these sorts of calls, as they tend to be based outside of Canada.
He advised people be wary of any calls where immediate action is requested regarding financial transactions.
"If you're going to be arrested, (the police) will come to you directly and arrest you," he said.
"The notion that any police service anywhere would be involved in seizing money or your vehicle under those sorts of circumstances is quite ridiculous."
