Online Scams - Don't feed the phish!

It’s the third week of Fraud Prevention Month and this week we’re focusing on online scams – particularly “phishing.”

Phishing takes place when scammers use emails, text messages or phone calls to trick victims into sharing sensitive personal and/or financial information.

While tactics can vary, online phishing scams generally involve a fake (or “spoofed”) email, website or pop up message that looks like it has come from a legitimate source, though it has not. The message will then direct victims to either click on a link so that they can provide information or download files that can have malware attached.

Report

Be immediately suspicious when:

• The message is unsolicited and unexpected
• You don’t recognize the sender’s name or email address
• The greeting is generic
• You notice a lot of spelling and grammar errors
• The sender requests personal or confidential information
• The sender asks you to log in using a provided link
• The sender makes an urgent request with a deadline

Reject

To protect yourself:

• Review email addresses, messages and website urls closely. Check for misspellings or the use of numbers or symbols in place of letters that could be easily overlooked.
• Example 1: You get an email from 'lethbridgepolice.org,' but a quick check on our official website shows you that our email addresses should say 'lethbridgepolice.ca.'
• Example 2: You get an email from 'LETHBRIDGEP0LICE.ca,' but notice that a numeral “Zero” is being used where a letter 'O” should be.
• Hover over links before clicking to check their actual destination
• Slow down and verify information by using official websites and phone numbers - DO NOT use the contact information provided by the potential scammer
• Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication on your accounts
• Keep your software and security tools updated on your computer

Report

• If you have NOT suffered a loss, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• If you have suffered a loss, report to the Lethbridge Police Service and your financial institution

More resources:

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security - "Don't take the bait" article
• Lethbridge Police - Frauds and Scams website
• Online Safety Toolkit - Building Safer Communities partnership with the City of Lethbridge