Fake Rogers and Bell calls offering free or discounted phones
A caller says they are from your phone company with a free upgrade or a big discount. A real device gets ordered on your account, then they talk you into handing it back.
How it works
How the call opens varies, and that is the first thing to understand. Sometimes the number is spoofed so your call display shows the real company name, which makes the call look official before anyone has said a word. Other times it is an ordinary unknown number and the caller simply says they are from "your phone provider", or names Rogers, Bell, Fido or Telus outright. A call is not safe just because the number looks unfamiliar or wrong. Call display proves nothing either way.
Whatever the opening, the offer is the same. A free or heavily discounted phone or tablet, or a large cut to your monthly bill. If you say yes, a real device is ordered on your real account and delivered to your home. That is what makes this one convincing. The courier is real, the box is real, and the charges are real.
Then they call back. There is a problem with the order, they say, or the wrong model shipped, or the promotion needs the old device sent back first. They talk you into returning the device, either to an address they control, using a shipping label they email you, or by handing it to someone who comes to collect it. The device goes to them. The charges stay with you.
The money involved is real. A Rogers customer in British Columbia was left owing more than $4,000 after two iPhones were ordered in her name. A version running in May 2026 offered free iPads and cost the people who returned them $2,350 each. Neither case was in Durham, but it is the same script reaching numbers here.
Some versions skip the shipping label entirely and send someone to the door instead, claiming to be a telecom worker there to collect the device or check the account.
These calls are reaching Durham numbers repeatedly. We have taken them ourselves, and several residents reported the same call in local community groups in September 2026. Police warnings so far have come from the OPP and neighbouring services rather than Durham Regional Police.
One more thing worth knowing if someone does turn up at your door. Ontario’s door-to-door sales protections do not apply to federally regulated businesses, and telecom companies are federally regulated. The rules most people assume cover them at the door will not help here.
What to do
- Hang up, whatever the caller ID says. A spoofed number can show the real company name, and an unfamiliar number does not make the call any more genuine.
- Check any offer yourself by logging into your account or calling the number printed on your bill. Never call a number the caller gives you.
- Never give account details, a password, or a verification code to someone who called you.
- If a device arrives that you did not order, do not hand it to anyone and do not use a return label sent by email or given over the phone. Contact your provider directly.
- Check your account for orders and charges you did not authorise.
- Report it to the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Sources
If this has already happened to you, our scam recovery visit can lock down your accounts and devices. And if you are just not sure whether something is a scam, asking us is always free.