HOW CAN I TELL IF I’M BEING SCAMMED?

• Take some time to think about calls or emails you receive or the people that come to your door.  If it sounds too good to be true, consider that it could be a scam
• If you are asked to respond with urgency, remember, nothing is urgent
• Fraudsters are able to make an incoming call appear legitimate by making the call display appear with a number that in fact belongs to the company/agency they say they are from.  However, they are not actually phoning from that number. This is also the case with emails, as fraudsters can make e-mails appear very legitimate
• Some scam emails may say things such as “Email Money Transfer Alert: Please verify this payment information below…”, “Dear Online Account Holder, Access To Your Account Is Currently Unavailable…”, “We regret to inform you that we had to lock your bank account access. Call (telephone number) to restore your bank account.”  Sometimes these emails contain obvious grammatical errors or misspellings
• Banks will never ask you for your password via email
• No government agency or legitimate business will ask for payments through Bitcoin, gift cards, MoneyGrams or other untraceable payment methods.  The fraudsters will also encourage victims not to talk to anyone else and will try to keep them on the phone until the money is sent  

HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF?

• Check facts through Snopes.com, Google or call a friend for a second opinion
• Keep safe from job scams and never accept payment for a job proposition
• Do not give out your personal information including: SIN, passport, credit card, passwords, or banking information
• Always confirm who you are speaking with if it involves giving out personal information or money.  Ask for the phone number so that you can call them back, or for their name/employee number or ID so you can call the company to verify their identity
• Protect your Green Shield health insurance card: never share your card, even if your friend is going to the doctor.  Always carry one copy of your card and keep your extra card in a safe place when not in use
• Do not participate in online surveys unless you are 100% sure of where they are coming from
• Update your computer protection with anti-virus, spyware filters, email filters
• When creating a password, create the longest possible password that contains a combination of upper and lowercase letters and symbols
• Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements
• Use PayPal to make online purchases whenever possible

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I’M UNSURE IF IT’S A SCAM?

• If you receive a call or e-mail from someone asking for personal information or money, slow the conversation down, take your time, take the emotion out of the situation, and verify the information.  If you are unable to verify the information yourself, please contact your local police service who can assist you BEFORE you become a victim.  

 RESOURCES:

• Please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website for more information on current scams, how to protect yourself, and how to report an incident
• Read here about protecting your Social Insurance Number