Cybercrime is evolving rapidly! What about your reflexes? At the beginning of September, we would like to alert you to the following phenomenon: "Scammers know how to reinvent themselves". A little anecdote to start with.
Watch your heart!
You are focused on a job and you receive an email from someone you know. She is traveling in the US and waiting for a CT scan in a hospital following an assault. Her credit cards and cell phone have been stolen. She has to pay $500 deposit for her exams while waiting for the insurance to cover her. She asks you to send her this amount using prepaid cards that can be found everywhere (IGA, Jean Coutu). All you have to do is send her the numbers on the cards. Listening only to your heart, you jump out of your chair and go buy the cards at IGA. And that's it, you've just been scammed!
Watch your ears!
You receive a call, supposedly from your banking institution, informing you that your accounts have been hacked. You must hand over all your bank cards to the institution as soon as possible. Someone will come to your house to pick them up. And that's it, you've just been scammed!
This happened recently in Repentigny.
Figures from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) show that total losses from reported phishing scams in Canada almost doubled between 2018 and 2019 (from $127,128.96 to $296,355.74), even though the number of reports decreased slightly (5,048 rather than 6,760).
Watch your fingers!
The most popular scam is the request to follow a link. From the credit card to your Aeroplan or Air Miles card. You receive an email inviting you to validate your points by clicking on a link. And then your points disappear.
Universal technique: all companies, banks, credit cards, points cards, Rogers, Cogeco...send you an email informing you that your account statement is ready. All these institutions invite you to retrieve it by accessing your account yourself. Never click on such a link.
Watch your eyes!
Scammers are using texting more and more often. If you don't know the sender, ignore the text message and delete it.
Your phone rings and you see "Police", "Revenu Québec" ... on the display. Beware. Never give out personal information to anyone over the phone unless you are certain of the identity of the person on the other end.
Revenue Canada will usually confirm your identity by asking you for the amount on a line on your last tax return.
Vigilance is your best protection
Whether we are working on the computer, answering a text message or on the phone, we must always be vigilant. The slightest distraction can cost us dearly.
To report a scam, fraud or cybercrime, whether you have been a victim or not, please contact the CAFC at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/