South Bruce OPP are warning the public yet again about the dangers of online scams.
This most recent warning comes after an "application scam" was successful in South Bruce. An online grant application was filled out that turned out to be bogus, but the scammers managed to get $3,000 out of the victim. This is one of many examples of online scams that are becoming all too common, and there are many unknowing victims who are consistently falling into these traps.
Online scammers are constantly coming up with new techniques to lure in victims. Those include:
-Spoofing. Appears to be contact from a friend, legitimate company or even a branch of the government, but it's not. They can manipulate caller-ID to display a number they want. To avoid the scam; end the call and connect with the real person, company, branch of the government. If it's an email, hover over replay and see what email address shows up.
-Urgency. "Act now", "limited time offer", "click now". The scammer doesn't want you to consider the offer as suspicious. To avoid the scam; time is on your side. Verify the contact BEFORE you go any further.
-Emotional manipulation. Con artists will play on your emotions to get your money. Romance scam, emergency scam, grandparent scam, charity scam. To avoid the scam; be suspicious when they play on your emotions. Check out the Anti-Fraud Centre's A-Z index of scams, maybe this is a listed scam.
-Pop-ups. Boxes that appear on your computer or device screen. "You've won a prize", "your device is infected", etc. A toll-free number is provided for you to call. To avoid the scam; install anti-virus, pop-up blockers, clear your cache, block cookies - when possible. Don't use public Wi-Fi - particularly for online banking. Never call the number in a pop-up.
The South Bruce OPP is offering you some tips to help protect you from a con artist:
-If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
-Remember that you can't win a contest that you didn't enter in the first place.
-If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Do not provide remote access to a "tech" that calls you out of the blue
-Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you and directs you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone.
-Your best defence is to verify any unsolicited contact. Unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it.
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or check online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.