HAY RIVER - The Hay River RCMP is warning businesses of a telephone scam involving a caller asking for financial help in a family emergency - a con virtually identical to one perpetrated last year.

Const. Nathan jacobson: Businesses should be cautious when receiving calls for financial assistance.

Const. Nathan Jacobson of the RCMP said a businessperson received such a call on Oct. 2.

"The person recognized it was a scam pretty quickly," Jacobson said, adding the police were contacted just minutes later.

The caller requested money to help a nephew fly back to Hay River from Vancouver because of a death in the family.

Jacobson said the caller posed as a respected member of K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN) on the Hay River Reserve.

Money was to be transferred to a bank in Vancouver where someone would pick it up.

Jacobson said no money was sent and the call ended before a specific amount of money was discussed.

Jacobson declined to identify the business called or the KFN member being impersonated.

The constable said it appears to be virtually the same scam as last year.

In May of 2008, at least two NWT businesses were conned out of more than $1,200 by a similar telephone scam.

At that time, scammers falsely claiming to be then-KFN Chief Alec Sunrise or his son David - a non-existent person - asked for money to help fly someone from Vancouver following a tragic accident in Hay River.

The scammers said someone - a mother and daughter, a sister-in-law or some variation of relatives - had been in a car crash.

They asked that money be electronically transferred to Vancouver, and two unidentified businesses each sent approximately $630.

Several other NWT businesses were targetted last year - two in Hay River and others in Fort Simpson and Yellowknife.

The RCMP is aware of only one business being contacted in the most recent scam.

Jacobson said the callers from last year were never identified.

The RCMP encourages businesses to use caution when receiving any such requests for assistance.

"Make sure you can verify the calls before you give any money," Jacobson said, adding one way would be to contact the person being identified as making the request.