KITCHENER -- The Waterloo Regional Police Service is warning the public after they've received multiple reports of bogus phone calls that are spoofing their phone number.

According to a news release, police have had several reports of these calls coming from various government agencies, including the WRPS.

"Caller ID spoofing allows fraudsters to disguise their calls and make them appear to represent a legitimate organization," the release explains in part.

In one case, police say someone got a call from a number that appeared to be associated with Service Canada.

They were told that their Social Insurance Number had been linked to criminal activity, and were told they had to withdraw money from their account to buy Bitcoin to keep their money safe.

They were then locked out of their account.

Police say their non-emergency number has been used in these scams, too.

Someone's caller ID may show the number as "WRPS: 519-570-9777."

In that case, the scammer, posing as a police officer, may threaten the person with legal action if they don't co-operate.

Police reported a similar situation happened in Mount Forest earlier this week, with someone pretending to be an OPP officer. In that case, the victim lost some $2,000 before reporting the incident.

Police are advising the public that WRPS will not demand any kind of payment over the phone, and will not threaten you with imprisonment.

The same goes for other government agencies.