Scammers can target any individual or business in Canada. Here are some tips to protect yourself or your business.
Don’t be afraid to say no. High pressure sales tactics can be intimidating, and play on your emotions. If someone tries to get you to buy something or to send money right away, request information in writing, or simply hang up.
Do your research. Al- ways verify that the organization you’re dealing with is legitimate before you take any action:
‣ Verify Canadian charities with the CRA.
‣ Verify collection agencies with the appropriate provincial agency.
‣ Look online for the company’s contact information and call them to confirm.
‣ Verify calls with your credit card company by calling the number on the back of your card.
If you’ve been contacted by a family member asking for money, touch base with other family members before giving away your money. The Grandparent Scam is a new method scammers are using against seniors, claiming they are a young relative in distress. Watch out for fake or deceptive online or emailed ads. Always verify that the company and its services are real before you contact them.
Don’t give out personal information. Beware of unsolicited calls that ask for your name, address, birthday, Social Insurance Number, or your banking information. If you didn’t initiate the call, you don’t know who you’re talking to.
Scammers often pretend to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.
The CRA will not:
‣ Send refunds by e-transfer or text message.
‣ Demand or pressure immediate payment by Interac® e-transfer, cryptocurrency (bitcoin), prepaid credit cards, or gift cards from any type of retailer
‣ Threaten to deport or arrest you, or put you in prison.
‣ Use aggressive or threatening language.
‣ Set up an in-person meeting in a public location to collect a payment.
‣ Charge a fee to speak with a call centre agent.
‣ Ask for personal or financial information in a voicemail or email.
Many scams request upfront fees ahead of receiving goods, services, or a prize. It’s illegal for a company to ask you to pay a fee upfront before they’ll give you a loan. There are no prize fees or taxes in Canada. If you won something, it’s free.
Protect your computer. Be suspicious of urgent-looking messages that pop up while you’re browsing online. Don’t click on them or contact them. No legitimate company will call and claim your computer is infected with a virus. Some websites, such as music, game, movie, and adult sites, may try to install viruses or malware without your knowledge.
Watch out for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors, and be wary of clicking on any attachments or links. They may contain viruses or spyware. Make sure you have anti-virus software installed on all your devices and keep your operating system up to date. Never give anyone remote access to your computer. If you are having problems with your system, bring it to a trusted, local technician.
Carefully consider who you’re sharing explicit videos and photos with. Don’t perform any explicit acts online. Disable your webcam or any other camera connected to the internet when you aren’t using it. Hackers can get remote access and record you.
Protect your online account by taking the following steps:
- Create a strong password by using a minimum of 8 characters including upper & lower-case letters, at least one number & a symbol.
‣ Creating unique passwords for every online account.
‣ Using a combination of passphrases that are easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.
‣ Enable multi-factor authentication.
‣ Only log into your accounts from trusted sources.
‣ Don’t reveal personal information over social media.
Recognize spoofing. Spoofing is used to mislead victims and convince them that they are communicating with someone legitimate.
- Caller ID spoofing. Fraudsters can manipulate the phone number appearing on call display with a legitimate phone number from law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, government agencies or service providers.
- Email spoofing. Fraudsters can manipulate a sender’s email address to make you believe that you’re receiving something from a legitimate source.
- Website spoofing. Fraudsters will create fake websites that look legitimate and pretend to be financial institutions, a company offering employment, an investment company, or government agency.
To protect your- self from spoofing:
‣ Never assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate.
‣ Hang up and call the company or agency in question directly. Don’t use the information provided in your first contact with a suspected fraudster.
‣ Check for the organization’s legitimate contact information before getting in touch with them.
‣ Never click on links received via text message or email.
‣ Verify the URL and domain to make sure you are on an official website.
Businesses: Know who you’re dealing with. Check invoices thoroughly for legitimate companies before making a payment. Scammers will use real company names like the Yellow Pages to make invoices seem authentic. Compile a list of companies your business uses and share it with your employees, so they know which contacts are real and which aren’t. Educate employees at every level to be wary of unsolicited calls. If they didn’t initiate the call, they shouldn’t provide or confirm any information, including:
‣ The business’s address or phone number.
‣ Account numbers.
‣ Information about office equipment.
Only allow select staff to approve purchases and pay bills, and watch for anomalies. Beware of larger orders than usual, multiple orders of the same item, and orders of big-ticket items. You never have to give your personal information or money away when someone claims that you need to.
Following the steps in this article will help you be prepared to take on scammers this tax season
