City warns public of potential Green Cart program rebate scam

It appears the scammers are at it again, hoping to take advantage of unsuspecting Green Cart program subscribers.

The City wants to warn residents again about an identified scam involving phone calls to residents appearing to come from the City.

The caller indicates that they are from the City of Saskatoon and asks the resident if they received a rebate cheque from the City’s Green Cart program.

Helpful reminders for residents:

• The City never requests or collects credit card, bank account or any sort of personal information from customers via phone, text or email.
• The City typically uses application forms to collect for the green cart program.
• 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 after reporting.
• Do not to click on suspicious web links.

Scammers typically use the information they gather this way to get money or commit identity theft. Previous public service announcements from the City have warned residents about scams involving suspicious phone calls, fake text messages and emails, some even demanding payment from customers they said ‘owed money’.

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 Customer Service Representative at 306-975-2400.