Fraud Awareness
As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, watch out for associated scams. Fraudsters want to profit from consumers' fears, uncertainties and misinformation. Fraudsters are exploiting the crisis to facilitate fraud and cyber-crime.
BE AWARE AND PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST COVID-19 SCAMS!
Watch out for...
- Spoofed government, healthcare or research information
- Unsolicited calls, emails and texts giving medical advice or requesting urgent action or payment - if you didn't initiate contact, you don't know who you're communicating to
- Suspicious links and attachments (never respond or click on these)
- Never give out your personal or financial details
- Unauthorized or fraudulent charities requesting money for victims, products or research - don't be pressured into making a donation/verify that a charity is registered
- High-priced or low-quality products purchased in bulk by consumers and resold for profit
- CRA through texts that encourage the receiver to click on a link to access an emergency benefit. CRA NEVER uses texts to communicate. Delete the text immediately as the link harbours malware.
If you are a victim of fraud or think your personal financial information may have been compromised, contact us immediately >
Reported scams
Fraudsters have been reported as posing as:- Cleaning or heating companies - offering duct cleaning services or air filters to protect from COVID-19
- Local and provincial hydro/electrical power companies - threatening to disconnect your power for non-payment
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization - offering fake lists for sale of COVID-19 infected people in your neighbourhood
- Public Health Agency of Canada - giving false results saying you have been tested positive for COVID-19 tricking you into confirming your health card and credit card numbers for a prescription
- Red Cross and other known charities - offering free medical products (e.g. masks) for a donation
- Government departments - sending out coronavirus-themed phishing emails tricking you into opening malicious attachments tricking you to reveal sensitive personal and financial details
- Financial advisors - pressuring people to invest in hot new stocks related to the disease, offering financial aid and/or loans to help you get through the shut downs
- Door-to-door sales people - selling household decontamination services
- Private companies - offering fast COVID-19 tests for sale. Only health care providers can perform the tests, no other tests are genuine or guaranteed to provide accurate results
Trusted websites and resources
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- RCMP Cybercrime Unit
- Reporting Cyber Fraud
- Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity