Watch out for scams

Anecdotally, I’ve been hearing about a number of people in the Haliburton Highlands falling victim to scammers pretending to be Bell Canada, among other companies. So, here is a refresher on scams, how you can protect yourself from scammers, and what to do if you do become the victim of a scam.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) website, as of June 30 of this year 15,941 Canadians have been victims of fraud, and $284 million has been lost to fraud. Scams can occur in a number of ways including over the phone, in-person, via email, over text and direct messaging services like Facebook messenger, through fake ads on websites, and on social media.

One type of scam that has been on the rise, according to the CAFC, is service scams. One type of service scam involves the scammer pretending to be from a telecommunications company. Of course, in Canada there are only a handful to choose from, so the probability of the scammer choosing the one that you are subscribed to is pretty good. From there, the scammer uses the promise of discounts far below market value or some urgent matter regarding your account to entice you to hand over your personal information, which they then use to access things like your banking and other important accounts.

These service scams can reach you through telemarketing calls, door-to-door salespeople, emails, and fake ads on websites or social media, and there are ways to protect yourself in each of these instances.

Telemarketing scams can be very difficult to discern from actual sales calls. According to GetCybersafe.ca some tell-tale signs include poor call audio with lots of background noise, the caller pressuring you to provide sensitive personal information, or the caller becoming agitated and unprofessional over the phone. When you get a call from a telemarketer (say, from a telecom company) don’t be afraid to ask them to send you the information they want to discuss via email so you can read and understand it, and to provide you with a reference number so you can call the company back. When calling a company back, be sure to use the contact information from the company’s official website.

Beware when Googling company information, scammers often take out fake ads impersonating well-known companies. These ads are often purchased and served up even on legitimate websites via an ad exchange, and can even show up in search results. Reputable websites using ad exchanges to generate revenue often have no idea what ads are being served up on their sites. While many ad networks have anti-fraud policies, a fraudulent ad only needs to run for a short period of time to hook a lot of victims. Generally speaking, it’s best to just not click on ads at all. Again, if it’s a legitimate promotion from a company, you’re much safer to visit the company’s website directly.

The Competition Bureau for Canada offers advice on what to do if you encounter someone selling a service door-to-door. They suggest asking to see the company issued ID of the person who has knocked on your door and taking note of their name. They also recommend never signing anything right away, researching before you make any decisions, and never sharing any personal information. Never leave a stranger unattended in your home.

Some general things you can keep in mind to avoid being the victim of a scam are:

• If the offer is too good to be true, it likely is.

• If the person is pressuring you into making a decision or creating a sense of urgency, it could very well be a scam.

• If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer – if it’s important they’ll leave a voicemail or contact you by some other means.

• Never be afraid to say no – “No.” is a complete sentence and it’s not impolite to leave it at that.

• Don’t ever let someone onto your computer, whether in person or remotely, unless they are someone you know and trust.

Scammers are good at what they do, and often only need a moment of inattention to succeed in defrauding someone. Anyone can get scammed. So, if you are scammed, make sure you contact your bank, change your passwords to any affected accounts, and report the scam to the local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. If you let someone on your computer, you may need professional help to ensure any malicious software that may have been installed is cleaned off.

Scammers also rely on our embarrassed silence to keep their scams working, so warning your friends and loved ones to keep them safe helps too. As a community, we’re stronger and more resilient against these kinds of things than we are alone.

Learn more

Protecting yourself from telemarketing and retail scams over the phone. (GetCyberSafe.ca) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Protect yourself from phone fraud [PDF]. (Government of Nunavut) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Protect yourself from scams and fraud. (Canadian Anti-fraud Centre) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Identify a scam or fraud. (Government of Ontario) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Phone scams using Bell name. 2007. (Fort Frances Times) Last accessed 2024/08/28. *older article but still relevant

Online scam targets BC Hydro customers, RCMP warn. 2024. Todd Coyne. (CTV News) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Cracking the code: why people fall for scams. 2023. Victoria Ticha. (UNSW Sydney) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Why 'bad' ads appear on 'good' websites - a computer scientist explains. 2022. Eric Zeng. (The Conversation) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

A Sneaky Ad Scam Tore Through 11 Million Phones. 2023. Matt Burgess. (Wired) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

How Ad Networks are Being Used for Scamvertising. 2015. (Zvelo) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Social engineering: how cyber scams trick us. (GetCyberSafe.ca) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Social engineering scams. (Interpol) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Here's how scammers are using AI in 2024. 2024. Amber Mac. (Instagram) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Correlates of Susceptibility to Scams in Older Adults Without Dementia. 2015. Bryan D James et al. (J Elder Abuse Negl. - PubMed) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Research by GCA and Amazon Confirms Susceptibility of Young Adults with Scams Online. 2023. (Global Cyber Alliance) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

Which factors predict susceptibility to phishing? An empirical study. 2024. Liliana Ribeiro et al. (Computers & Security - Science Direct) Last accessed 2024/08/28.

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