Regina police have released a warning to the public after someone almost fell for a scam that targets local immigrants.

The fraud scam aims to extort funds through identity theft. It begins when the target of the crime receives a phone call from somebody claiming to work for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The caller says it's a verification call from the department for a permanent residence card. The caller then asks for the target’s landing paper number, Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number, passport number and other information.

That request is followed by instructions to visit a local garage and purchase a 'Power Pay Reload Pack' for the target’s credit card, then send the caller the pin number. The caller then makes an empty promise that an immigration officer would show up at the target’s home the next day with the permanent resident card and documents.

Police are warning people never to send money or give information over the phone. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will never ask people for this information in order to receive permanent residence cards.