**** HRP Media Release
Police warn public of potential scam related to emergency evacuations
Police are warning the public of a potential scam related to emergency evacuation orders and remind people to monitor official government channels for direction on emergency evacuation situations and fire updates.
Earlier this morning, a member of the public contacted police to advise they had received a call that stated the fire was in their area and gave direction to leave a message. The investigation is in the early stages, and it is unclear at this time what motivated the call. However, police are taking this very seriously given the timing of the call during a difficult crisis.
We want the public to know that they will not receive individual calls from official sources asking them to evacuate their homes. Evacuation orders will come from emergency alerts through the proper government channels. In some circumstances of urgent safety, officers and other first responders may go door-to-door of affected areas to notify residents of the evacuation order. We ask that that you follow the directions given by first responders for everyone’s safety.
We remind the public to continue to follow the directions provided in the alert messages and monitor official channels for further updates as they become available: halifax.ca/fire or follow @hfxgov on Twitter for all fire updates.
We thank the public for their continued cooperation in this difficult time which allows first responders to focus on safety and fire operations.
