A phone scam that is being investigated across North America is hitting Whitehorse.

Over the past few weeks, local vehicle dealerships and the RCMP have been bombarded with calls from savvy residents phoning to report suspicious calls from a company claiming to sell and renew car and truck warranties.

"I received a call from a 1-800 number," Whitehorse resident Murray Martin said in an interview today.

"They said, 'This is the warranty people; your warranty will be running out soon.'

"I asked them what company they were from and they said, 'No, we do the warranties for all vehicles.'"

Martin said he knew it was a bogus call from the way the man on the other end of the line tried to evade his questions.

"When he wouldn't answer my questions, I hung up."

Martin called Metro Chrysler Ltd., the dealership where he bought his vehicle, to alert staff to the scam. He wasn't the first - or the last.

"We've probably received about 15 calls in total," Manuela Roberti, Metro Chrysler's general manager said, today. "As far as we know, people haven't gone through with anything."

According to Phonebusters.com , a website which acts as a clearinghouse for national and international phone and Internet scam reports, people all over North America are getting similar phone calls. The scam is being investigated by prosecutors in the U.S.

The caller often has personal information about the person he is calling, including a first and last name and details of the potential scam victim's vehicle purchases, which they

use to bolster the credibility of the false warranty sale.

"Because they have a little bit of info, they are very convincing," Whitehorse RCMP spokesman Sgt. Mark Groves said today.

The Whitehorse detachment has received dozens of calls about the scam, he said, adding police are directing callers to Phonebusters, so a co-ordinated investigation can be launched.

Differing reports seem to indicate that the scam has a few variations. Sometimes the offer is to renew a warranty, sometimes it is to offer lower monthly lease payments.

It is always a con.

"Chrysler would never call a customer," Roberti explained. "The most they would do is send out a list of people to follow up with to dealers. But they haven't even done that for a few years."

Calling customers about warranties and payments is the sole responsibility of local dealerships, she said, so if someone calls from outside Whitehorse, the warning bells should go off.

"We wouldn't follow up that way," agreed Mic Mac Toyota sales manager Dwayne Preece.

"We've probably had 20 to 25 people call (to report the scam). Most people understand what's going on, because if you have a car and it's one year old, you shouldn't be getting a call about your warranty."

Preece said many of his customers have told him the number that appears on their call display is from New Hampshire. But the Phonebusters website explains that the scammers are using "ghost numbers," sometimes from disconnected lines, and calls could be coming from anywhere.

The RCMP are taking the opportunity to remind people, via press releases and radio spots, not to give out any personal information over the phone, and to be wary of any unexpected caller offering a sweet deal, Groves said.

"Basically, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it is."