Education and awareness is the first line of defense against fraud and scam attempts.
One of the most common types of scam attempts we all face is phishing.
Phishing can come in the form of email, text messages - known as smishing, phone calls - known as vishing, or even gaming and social media platforms.
Phishing attempts play on emotions; such as fear, urgency, curiosity, and helpfulness to convince a target to take action. Very often they are related to tax season, banking, bills/invoices, computer problems, local or worldly events and conflicts.
Common telltale signs of a phishing attempt to look out for are:
- The sender is not known or trusted
- They are asking for personal information or information they should already have
- Logos don’t look right or there are spelling and grammar errors
- There is a sense of urgency
- Suspicious and mismatched email domains, links or attachments
- Promises of large sums of money or offers if you invest or pay
If you suspect you may have received a phishing attempt the first thing you should do is be realistic – if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you do not respond to requests for personal information and be wary of alarmist or urgent requests. Do not click or open any links or attachments. Immediately report the message and sender via the appropriate channels based upon the platform and block the sender if possible.
- If you receive a phishing email you should report it to abuse@bell.ca
then delete the email. - If you receive a smishing text you should forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) then delete the text.
If you believe you have been a target of any type of fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
For more ways to protect yourself against fraudulent emails, please click on the following How to keep yourself safe from fraud.
To learn more about fraud and how you can prevent it, we encourage you to read our other articles for more in depth information.
