Scams Are Always Active In The Community – Doubt Everyone, especially if they tell you to keep secret.
Email and Telephone Scams
Seniors have received telephone and email messages claiming to be from service providers such as Telus, and telling them to change their email password to one provided by the caller or to click on a link to do account maintenance. DO NOT COMPLY or confirm any personal information.
Do NOT click on links in email like this:
“You are funding terrorism”. Scam is very thorough and convincing. See CBC news story from May 22, 2017.
Shadow Profiles – illicit data collecting by social media you don’t even use. Very spooky. See SecureMac story from April 13, 2017
Skimmers on ATM and Point of Sale (POS) Machines: As a follow-up to his recent presentation, Rick Thrale has shared this Krebs on Security posting, last updated June 24, 2016. Scary stuff that affects us all. A CD of Rick’s talk can be borrowed from the CSA office.
Scam Alert: Phishers targeting all Apple Products see CTV news story from March 24, 2016.
Hackers take control of home routers see BBC news story from September 22, 2015.
WhatsApp or Priyanka Virus
Multiple members have received emails like this. Do NOT open or click on any content. It is using members’ personal contact lists to spread itself but must be deliberately clicked to be activated. Kaspersky Labs reports a version that spreads financial malware Trojans. There is also spam circulating that assures the reader that the spam is not spam – this has become a common ruse by spammers and should be a major red flag. (‘trust me, I’m a …..’). View good write-up at hackernews from February 7, 2015. Google whatsapp virus for more information sources, but beware of scammers trying to sell filters and cures which may be loaded with malware. Wikipedia and big security companies like Kaspersky and Norton have good write ups.
UK Crime Stoppers Summary of Scams and Frauds
If you receive an e-mail stating that inserting your PIN number in reverse at an ATM will alert police, please be aware that this is a HOAX. We ask you not to circulate this e-mail to others. This is UK but only a matter of time before it appears here. The UK Crimestoppers site is a really good resource. August 2014.
Computer scam costs senior $175K see Huffington Post story from May 14, 2014.
Google Scam is well disguised. See Huffington Post story from March 18, 2014.