Police are warning the public after several recent reports of cold-call scams designed to pressure the victim into immediate action.

Family members in trouble; lawyers calling on behalf of family members in trouble; companies calling to collect “overdue” bill payments; the list goes on.

Although different circumstances have been provided in many of the calls, the common theme is a caller claiming to be a person you know, for a person you know, or from a company you deal with.

The reality is, the caller isn’t who they claim to be, and they are only calling you to pressure you into giving them money before you have time to think about what is happening.

High-pressure tactics are very common in cold-call scams and can unfortunately be very effective, but can be completely defeated with a little due diligence.

RCMP spokesman Kris Clark says if someone calls you, verify the company name, address and phone number using your phone book or computer. If you can’t find them . . . “it’s a scam!”

If the person claims to be your friend or family, regardless of how much they seem to know, always follow up by contacting that person directly with a verified number before taking any other action.

Sending money by a wire service or purchasing pre-paid credit cards are not the typical ways to pay for bills or legal fees, but are commonly used by scammers in order to protect their anonymity.

If you are a victim of fraud, contact your local police and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or by calling 1-888-495-8501.

Of course, you can also try some unconventional methods to thwart these scam (scum) artists.

For example, give the caller your best Liam Neeson impression:

“I don’t know who you are (but) . . . I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have is a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.”

The other option is immediately handing the phone over to your 14-month-old who’s reciting his version of War and Peace.

Or you can simply act like a maniac and say: “I want your blood . . . all over me!”

That should prompt the line to go dead rather quickly.

Heavy breathing might work too, but if you want to lighten the mood a bit, trying singing Simon and Garfunkel’s Feeling Groovy . . . “Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the morning last . . . “

Or just hang up.

But where’s the fun in that?