City warns public: beware of ongoing tree scam
The City is warning residents that a tree removal scam appears to be happening in Saskatoon, having received calls from concerned residents.
Several residents reported receiving a phone call last week in the evening from someone claiming to be from the City of Saskatoon. The caller asked to schedule an appointment to remove their “old and ugly” City elm trees. Something about the call seemed off to the residents so they called the City’s Urban Forestry (UF) department to verify whether it was legitimate. The City's Urban Forestry team does not work in the evening to make these sorts of calls, and to note, there were no City trees at the residential properties in question.
The City wants residents to know this appears to be an impersonation scam; Urban Forestry does not call residents regarding tree removal of aged City trees. Additionally, the City’s Bylaw Enforcement and Fire departments also do not contact residents regarding tree removal or the bylaws they administer.
Helpful reminders to help protect residents from potential scammers:
- The City never requests or collects credit card, bank accounts or any sort of personal information from customers via phone, text or email.
- Never give out your personal or banking information, or credit card number over the phone, by text or email. It is a best practice to block suspicious phone numbers and delete them after reporting.
- Do not click on suspicious web links.
Scammers typically use the information they gather over the phone to get money or commit identity theft. Residents should contact their bank if they have become a victim of fraud and also report these types of phone or online scams to Saskatoon Police Service at saskatoonpolice.ca/onlinereporting/fraud/ or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center, 1-888-495-8501.
Concerned residents may also call the City of Saskatoon to speak with a Service Saskatoon Customer Care Representative at 306-975-2476.