# Sticky  *** Scams Alert! ***



## Beaver101

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/vwapj/Little-Black-Book-Scams-e.pdf/$FILE/Little-Black-Book-Scams-e.pdf

Be informed!


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## Jim9guitars

This is a good guide for todays world, the only thing I saw in it that I would question is their suggestion that you use a sevice like PayPal when dealing with online purchases. Although PayPal has been the standard for a long time(mostly due to it's association with Ebay), I have had problems with them, and heard first hand from aquaintances and various forums and online sources that claim to be totally frustrated with them in the past couple of years. Administrative mistakes that end up costing us users money coupled with difficulty getting through to anyone at PayPal for help are the main ones. Some cases involved that I'm familiar with would have faired better if they had of paid via credit card, especially in the cases where payment was made for a product that never arrived. I realize this is not a scam(I hope), but it can cause a consumer to have been "ripped off" all the same.


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## Beaver101

Bejesus, as if we can't enough of these ... more types of scams, no. 10 is a real bugger "Scam of the Year" ... from Sherly Smolkin of Toronto Star - http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2013/02/01/the_10_biggest_scams_of_the_year.html


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## andrewf

I found it interesting to learn why so much spam/phishing is done with such poorly concealed fradulence. Apparently they are targeting the very most gullible or obtuse people they can. They don't use very sophisticated or convincing scams because they don't want to waste time on marks that may be drawn in initially but get a bad vibe and back out.

Realizing that, it seems very difficult to protect these people from scams. The only thing I can think of is to waste scammers time to reduce their ROI. Think of it as community service...


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## andrewf

If they want to talk to you, just let them talk and talk and talk. Put the phone down on speakerphone and ask a bunch of inane questions and play along, but don't give any personal info. Eventually they will get frustrated and end the call.

Same goes with the Nigerian prince scammers...


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## MoneyGal

Refer them here: http://www.itslenny.com/

(that site is so, so worth a visit and a listen)


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## underemployedactor

I fell for one of those email scams that said something like "Canada Post tracking #xxxxxxxx undeliverable" and as I was expecting a parcel, I opened it, no doubt releasing a tidal wave of malware.


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## Beaver101

Those malwares must have created havoc on your pc ... that must have been a bunch of PITAs to get rid of. I was lucky that opening an email asking for "emergency funds" by a scammer disguised under a friend's email (only I haven't been in contact with the friend for years) didn't cause harm to my pc. 

Here's another scam alert: http://www.thestar.com/business/per...ails_from_bell_and_canada_revenue_agency.html ... with tax season nearing, don't fall for it!


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## Beaver101

http://www.thestar.com/news/investi...gedly_targeted_by_home_renovation_scheme.html

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/phone-scammers-fleece-retiree-house-home-214556875.html

Very sad and unfortunate situations ... seniors are so vulnerable to these predators.


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## carverman

Not sure if this falls under scams..but certainly a novel way to collect money from all the suckers out there ($100 a piece) in order for them to "qualify" for winning their home.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dail...-ontario-couple-unloading-home-203112809.html

Assuming they find 300 suckers that are each willing to part with $100 at the opportunity to win this ..home, and who knows what pitfalls await them after taking
possession...it still is a novel way of "selling your home"..and collecting possibly more than it's worth on the open real estate market.


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## carverman

kcowan said:


> They take the loss if insufficient tickets are sold and book a profit is more are sold. It is a risky proposition and many of the home lottery charities have taken losses (due to competition making them a tougher sell).


It would have to be registered with CRA as a charity in the first place, and given a lottery licence that has to be made public,
and the property in question would be bound to be disposed of under the rules that the charity has to abide by, I would think.

Then, if insufficient tickets are sold and the property is not won by a successful bidder due to insufficient $100 entries, (not donations), the money collected would have
to be refunded to each registered entry, or the lottery organizer would have to take a loss...I believe, otherwise the couple face the risk of running afoul of the CRA. 

Any other scheme could be deemed to be a scam, because for instance..
if I were to open a web site and advertise a "contest" on my property, (which would be valued at a certain value by a real estate agent) and advertised that for a $100 entry fee,
you submit your entry stating why you would want my property, I would choose the winner and that winner would receive my property.

If there were insufficient entries to reach the "reserve amount",
then..too bad..you would lose your money and I keep it. If there were more entries than the value set for my property, I would keep that as a bonus.

Sounds too good to be true..and a scheme ripe to rip off any idiots out there that would want to send in their money.

Now a hospital lottery/sweepstakes is different..there the proceeds of all $100 tickets go into a charity pot and money is used, (after paying for the prizes of cars and a fancy home),
for the hospital building fund or whatever purpose the hospital deems the money will be used for. Hospitals are public institutions funded by the provincial gov'ts, so they can get
lottery licences easier.


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## Beaver101

http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2013/11/30/online_dating_relationship_ends_badly_13m_later.html ... not a pleasant experience to have so keeping the thread/warning updated. :anonymous:


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## Just a Guy

Here's one for landlords...I've read they are currently in Alberta. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...-powerless-as-tenants-get-free-ride-1.1307443


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## Beaver101

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/08/02/kijiji_vacation_rental_scam_strikes_again_at_the_same_cottage.html ... not sure if there is a season for scams but don't fall for this one - buyers' (renters in this case) beware!


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## andrewf

Yes, that is an old and common scam. Hopefully all landlords are familiar with it...


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## Beaver101

Fraud and abuse of the elderlies doesn't necessarily come from external forces ... http://www.cnbc.com/id/101920770 .. disgusting.


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## carverman

And when it comes to fraud in Canada..it's not just the seniors who get taken, but a percentage of seniors do..

http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/category/canada/


and who can forget "Concrete Equities' on Dragon's Den...

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/investing/concrete-equities-fraud-rallies-investors/



> Investors, meanwhile, were in the dark. “We never had an annual meeting. We never got a financial statement,” Town says. As long as the dividends kept coming—Concrete paid out just under $5 million to investors between 2005 and 2008—nobody fussed. Inside the company, though, things were worse than investors could have imagined. “They were basically running everything out of just one bank account.…*They figured they’d just keep raising money and paying back the ones with the money they’d been using,*” Steven Butt, president of brokerage and property management firm Avenue Commercial, which sold a building to Concrete and continued to manage it under contract. The only difference between this and a Ponzi scheme was Concrete Equities had some assets. But perhaps not for long.


Hmmm? "Rob Peter to pay Paul'...that's been around for a long time..nothing new here.


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## dotnet_nerd

On a lighter note, this is an oldie but a classic. The "P-P-Powerbook" story. How a scammer got scammed. 

https://encyclopediadramatica.es/P-p-p-powerbook


Here's the PDF link. A long read but well worth it, great poetic justice.
http://joi.ito.com/images2/thepowerbook.pdf


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## carverman

This story falls under the title: There IS NO FREE LUNCH!..people.



> *An Ottawa couple have spent three days leading on scammers who are trying to manipulate the couple into paying thousands of dollars to receive a lottery prize.*
> 
> "[They were] so persistent, it's unbelievable," said the wife.
> 
> This kind of scam is called an *advance fee fraud, in which victims are conned into paying taxes on millions of dollars they've supposedly won before they can receive the prize money.*
> 
> On Tuesday night, Paul and Carole <name withheld) received a phone call telling them they'd won $2.5 million and a 2014 Mercedes Benz. *The scammers told the couple they qualified for the lottery prize just by using their credit and debit cards.*
> 
> "We immediately were skeptical of it,* but I had time on my hands so I thought, OK, I'll just see what the scam is,*" the husband said.
> "It was* kind of fun for a while*."
> 
> The couple were emailed a raft of official-looking documents, pictures of supposed former winners, pictures of the car and an invoice for $5,000 dollars in taxes and fees, the amount they'd have to fork over before getting the payoff.
> 
> The *scammers also kept phoning back, telling the couple not to let anyone else know about the transaction and win, including their own bank teller.*
> 
> *When the couple finally told them they were onto the scam, other people called* the <namewithheld> claiming to be lawyers, wondering why they didn't want the prize.
> 
> "I contacted the police and they have so many calls of this type that they just can't address them," said the husband.
> 
> Ottawa police say no legitimate lottery will ask for money up front.
> 
> "So if you ever get a call saying *you've won something but have to send them money, that should be a red flag right there," said the Ottawa Police Staff Sgt. *


So the moral of this story is folks..if you smell it's a scam from the start..DON'T LEAD THEM ON pretending you
may be interested. They will continue to bother you with all kinds of nuisance phone calls.
JUST HANG UP IMMEDIATELY ON THEM.


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## Beaver101

carverman said:


> This story falls under the title: There IS NO FREE LUNCH!..people.
> 
> So the moral of this story is folks..*if you smell it's a scam from the start..DON'T LEAD THEM ON *pretending you
> may be interested. They will continue to bother you with all kinds of nuisance phone calls.
> *JUST HANG UP IMMEDIATELY ON THEM*.


 ... +101%!


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## Beaver101

For the travel bug - last thing you need to worry or have your vacation ruined:

Jane Young lost $1,500 to fraud after reserving a hotel in England through Booking.com. ...

http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2014/10/12/we_help_hotel_fraud_victim_recover_1500_roseman.html ..


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## Beaver101

Who would have thunk that 1-800 # is not toll-free but here is it:

1-800 charges linked to company accused of targeting seniors



> ... Online warnings about 1-800 number
> 
> It turns out that ITD 1-800-533-5964 has a lot of people concerned....


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## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> Who would have thunk that 1-800 # is not toll-free but here is it:
> 
> 1-800 charges linked to company accused of targeting seniors


Beav; I read that story on CBC News. The 80 odd year husband (who recently had to go into some kind of seniors LTC?) was the one that fell for it. 

It was some kind of discount coupon/travel promotion thing that he and she never used. Because he agreed to enroll and gave them THEIR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER to set up automatic monthly deductions, they were "on the hook" until someone (friend I think) called that 800 number to cancel the monthly withdrawals. 

The wife never was responsible for the financials during her marriage and depended on the husband to do it all, so she didn't have a clue about the monthly withdrawals..not a good thing in any case.

Yes, it is still can be considered targeting seniors..but the spokesperson at the 800 number mentioned
that "they don't specifically target seniors".......in other words..they will target anyone that responds to
their phone calls and is naive enough to give them banking information for services that they really don't
understand or can use.


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## fraser

Don't answer 1 800 calls.

Don't give out ANY personal or financial info on the phone

Don't bother with anything that is free. Even if you are a greedy goblin, nothing is free. Free is actually expensive.

Hang up or do what my dear old Dad would do. Start to ask the following question and the caller will hang up on you immediately. The question?

"Will welfare pay for that". He did it for two years running and saw a noticeable decrease in calls. I guess their name got removed from some call lists. He never got past saying will welfa....before they hung up on him. Drove my mother nuts.

And if you do something stupid....don't blame it on everyone else. Look in the mirror.


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## Nemo2

fraser said:


> "Will welfare pay for that".


One that I concocted, but haven't yet used, is "I was afraid it was another one of those collection agencies calling".


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## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Beav; I read that story on CBC News. The 80 odd year husband (who recently had to go into some kind of seniors LTC?) was the one that fell for it.
> 
> It was some kind of discount coupon/travel promotion thing that he and she never used. Because he agreed to enroll and gave them THEIR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER to set up automatic monthly deductions, they were "on the hook" until someone (friend I think) called that 800 number to cancel the monthly withdrawals.
> 
> The wife never was responsible for the financials during her marriage and depended on the husband to do it all, so she didn't have a clue about the monthly withdrawals..not a good thing in any case.
> 
> Yes, it is still can be considered targeting seniors..*but the spokesperson at the 800 number mentioned
> that "they don't specifically target seniors*" :rolleyes2: .......*in other words..they will target anyone that responds to
> their phone calls and is naive enough * to give them banking information for services that they really don't
> understand or can use. :confusion:


 ... :suspicion:


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## carverman

This thread "Little Black BooK of Scams" probably shouldn't be in the "Deals and Freebies" category, because the scams out there are neither deals nor freebies.

I don't know how many of you caught the CTV W5 program yesterday (Dec 6th) on 'CHEATIN HEARTS' which is about the internet scams on dating sites like "matchdotcom" etc where the scammers prey on vulnerable females.

In the W5 segment a woman around Guelph was taken for over $7000-10,000 when her "online friend" kept feeding her emails about what she wanted to hear, promising that they would meet soon..but in the meantime he was stuck in jam in Dubai when he "flew there on business" and lost his wallet and identity in a taxi . She offered to send him some money so he could get back to Canada. 
He insisted that the best and fastest way was by Western Union....


> At first <M.C.> declined <R's> offer but eventually he relented, promising to repay the money she advanced. Rosanna wired $7,000 via Western Union. It wasn’t until weeks later that she found out that it was all a con – her money had vanished along with Marc Campbell



Now this next one..you really have to ask yourself....how can anyone be so naive (dumb) as to send money without ever meeting them face to face..it is unbelievable how she got sucked in with a "fraudster"that used a fake name and picture.

Ellen told W5 that she met a man named <> online through Matchdotcom. What followed was an elaborate scheme that s*aw her send fraudsters more than one million dollars.* But at the outset she was taken by his friendship.



> At first the amounts were small. But money transfer documents provided to W5, eventually showed hundreds of thousands of dollars being sent to Singapore, England, Spain and, *eventually, Nigeria.* In hindsight, *Ellen says she doesn’t understand how she was conned into sending so much money. She believes that she may have been brainwashed.*


Of course she was brainwashed..she ended up transferring her ENTIRE LIFE SAVINGS (around 1 million dollars Cdn) to these fraudsters.
Everyone needs to wake up and understand that these social media sites are prime hunting grounds for fraud artists that can sweet talk you to wire them money. They are experts at this kind of crime and they never get caught, that is why it's so lucrative to them. On the internet, you can be anyone you want to be..fake names, fake pictures.
fake identities..they don't exist...

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/w5-investi...eeking-online-romance-1.1567247#ixzz3LFhaAveA


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## Nemo2

^ I can still recall, in Toronto in the early 1970s........a guy, (until he got caught), used to hit the bars of airport hotels on the weekend and tell unaccompanied women, (he didn't want 2-3 of them putting their heads together and perhaps figuring him out), that his private jet was undergoing emergency maintenance and that, not being from Toronto/Canada/Whatever, he had no readily available money.

He pulled in $1,000s (or perhaps tens of $1,000s) before he was caught.

Anyway......point of the story.....newspaper reporter went to see him and asked how he managed to pull it off....reporter said "You're nothing special, how did you do it?"

Guy replied "They *want* to believe........they can see the 'big score' and think if they hand over their savings it could be them flying to exotic places in a private jet".


(As the W.C. Fields movie said _You Can't Cheat an Honest Man_)


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## Beaver101

Not sure where to post this but definitely freebies here .... courtesy of Amazon ... gotta love that online vendor, :biggrin:

*Amazon Glitch Sends Man 51 Free Gifts*

https://ca.screen.yahoo.com/broken-news-daily-latest/amazon-glitch-sends-man-51-000000160.html


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## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> What I don't get is why are mostly females the victims and not the other way? Are females actually that dumb? It's good tv programming such as W5 to get constant news/warnings such as these out to the public.


Pretty much most of these victims have been conned by joining these social media/friendship/romance sites (matchdotcom/christianmingle etc etc)..there are dozens of these out there in this day and age of the internet. 
Still trusting that basically everyone out there is honest and believing the TV advertising, that the actors portrayed found on the TV commericials found "true love" on a particular site and the "partner of their dreams".

These are very powerful emotions that stem from 'affairs of the heart" that override common sense 
when they believe that they are on the track (or have found)... "the one" .to replace a void in their lonely lives from divorce, or perhaps becoming a widow.

I wouldn't say that they are dumb when it comes most things..like day to day living....but these fraudsters are professional scammers......who know how to prey on their victims, and don't have any decency when it comes to bilking their victims. They manufacture the right words that the victims want to hear..convincing their victims that they are the actual people on the same site..with phony pictures and bios.

Then once they have their victims "hooked", they come with "falling on hard times" stories to extract a little money at first..and once their victims fall into their trap...a lot more!
*It is well known that on the internet..you can be anyone you want to be, false identities are easy. *
With fraudsters working in teams to psychoanalyse and "read the minds" of the victims based on the victims response to their communications. They continually refine their responses convincing their victims that they can be truly believed, and they set the trap. 

On the same program, CTV did an expose on a group of internet fraudsters working out out the US and Nigeria where
victims were conned out of thousands to help "US Soldiers" fighting in Afghanistan get artificial limbs for "limbs blown
off" etc; and one even asks for money because he needed to buy a gun...of all things. 

The money they conned went to a 'US Gov't fund co-ordinating" address in Colorado that would forward the funds to the "soldiers". A mother and daughter were helping money launder that scam...they collected several million US ,and took 10% of the proceeds, while the rest was wired to Nigeria and elsewhere, by Moneygram and Western Union.

While the US authorities could not trace the whereabouts of the offshore scammers (Russia/Ukraine/Nigeria etc), they
did arrest and convict the two women, who are spending 10-15 years in a Colorado federal prison.


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## carverman

* *****This thread is too important information to have buried under Personal Finance. ****
***** It needs to be moved to the top of CMF next to hot topics. ******

Adminlease move this thread so it is more visible to be updated periodically. 

*WARNING WARNING WARNING !*

Internet phishing emails with legit looking Mastercard logo and and address that looks like "MastercardSecureCode" etc.

*This is a PHISHING EMAIL..DO NOT PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION TO THESE SCAMMERS!

If you do, they will steal your identity and your credit card. 

Report it as a phishing email scam to your credit card company by phone, if you don't know how to forward it to you credit card fraud dept.

Call your C C company by phone and get the legitimate link for your MC or Visa,
or whatever card ipersonal information they are phishing for,
to report the attempted fraud!*.


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## Beaver101

^ While this is not the hottest topic of the day, we already got the top spot on CMF for this ... each:



> Adminlease move this thread so it is more visible to be updated periodically.


 ... and I agree with this as it constantly needs to be kept "fresh" ... how about you send this request at the Site Feedback section below? And what do you think about changing the title to read as "*** Scams Alert!!! Station** *?" Only if the cmfAdmin is willing - pretty, please :tiger:


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## carverman

Beaver101;509569
... and I agree with this as it constantly needs to be kept "fresh" ... how about you send this request at the Site Feedback section below? And what do you think about changing the title to read as "[B said:


> ** Scams Alert!!! Station** [/B]?" Only if the cmfAdmin is willing - pretty, please :tiger:


Why don't you send in the request Beav? I am only the messenger.


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## Beaver101

^ okay ... I wasn't hoping for more homework. :bee:


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## kcowan

The emails are really good. For me, they show up in my junk folder automagically. I never cease to me amazed by their ability to look legitimate. I can see their IP address but I wonder about all the people that get all that hidden from them.

What happens when we have octogenarians that are on email every day!


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## Beaver101

kcowan said:


> The emails are really good. For me, they show up in my junk folder automagically. I* never cease to me amazed by their ability to look legitimate. I can see their IP address but I wonder about all the people that get all that hidden from them*.
> 
> What happens when we have octogenarians that are on email every day!


 ... I almost fell - actually I did for that email phishing as it did looked very legitimate asking me to update my profile, hence, provide passwords, etc. ... until I realized it wasn't the real thing as compared to another email announcemount (missing a key) in which case I quickly re-changed my password ... hopefully, I didn't get hacked. How do you see the IP addresses of your incoming emails - is there a special email setting for that? Or is it the browser?


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## carverman

These scams are now becoming more and more prevalent these days..must be those Nigerians at it..again.:biggrin:
To survive these days on the internet, you need defensive tools, virus checkers, malwarebytes for trojans, spyware and
malicious attacks on your computer. 

http://usa.visa.com/download/merchants/alert-phishing-120910.pdf

and this..
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/20/mastercard_phishing/

and this...


> Q: I received an email/phone call from MasterCard about my account but it appears to be a scam or a phishing email. What do I do?
> 
> A: *MasterCard will never solicit personal or account information from a cardholder and we suspect that the information you received is fraudulent. *Consumers should always safeguard their personal information and refrain from responding to suspicious email/phone scams.
> 
> *If you suspect fraud on your account, please contact your issuing bank immediately to report it. We would appreciate if you could forward the original email to [email protected] so that we may investigate.*


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## Barwelle

There's a story on a recent This American Life episode (a podcast) about a different type of... well, not really scam in the same vein as is discussed in this thread so far, but this one seems pretty scammy to me. "network marketing". kinda like multi-level marketing schemes. Or ponzi scheme. Anyway, whatever you want to call it... if you're interested in and always on the lookout for scams, you might enjoy a listen. Check out the Prologue and Act One here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/543/wake-up-now


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## carverman

*More on this email phishing scam*


*New Phishing E-mail Scam Targets MasterCard and Visa Users*

A new spiteful email is annoying con users by making them believe that the details of their payment card "are at risk" after visa and MasterCard in collaboration with Cryptico, have recognized a security breach incident as reported by softpedia on September 27, 2012.
Cryptico is a privately-owned company, specialized in cryptography.

Titled as "your personal details are compromised," the email opens with the welcoming words 'Dear Valued customers, with the last few weeks, we had been cautioned and alerted about some problems related to the safety and security of our internet through Cryptico (a security consortium), 

The basic idea behind this email is to make oneself aware of a security incident. To activate your credit information, kindly visit the site on online banking and provide us with all your credit card details as the information is at risk.

*The Identity Theft Department' of visa/MasterCard in association with online Interac, this is the ending of the email.*


*Actually this email has no relevance with Visa or MasterCard; also it is not associated with online Interac, as declared in the email.*



*People who click the scam link will be taken to a fraudulent website and asked to initiate the activation process by submitting either the Visa or MasterCard number. Like all legal online financial transaction are there in the site, even though the forged form is not hosted on a source. The scammers have used a distinctive image-based security code field to look the process more authentic.*

*All information which is collected from fake pages by submitting the desired details will be submitted on bogus form which will be then send to online criminals and employed towards making fake transaction in the victim's name.*

- See more at: http://www.spamfighter.com/News-179...rCard-and-Visa-Users.htm#sthash.FurLD162.dpuf


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## carverman

If you have a gmail account;

*Internet Email Services and IP Addresses*



> Finally, the popular Internet-based email services differ greatly in their use of IP addresses in email headers. Use these tips to identify IP addresses in such mails.
> *Google's Gmail service omits the sender IP address information from all headers.* Instead, only the IP address of Gmail's mail server is shown in Received: from. *This means it is impossible to find a sender's true IP address in a received Gmail.*


Anyway; IF you are on GMAIL and if you can understand all the goobly-**** in the message header, here's what you do:
1. Open the message
2. Next to the reply icon (IT'S A LITTLE DOWN ARROW IN A BOX NEXT TO IT) CLICK ON THE DOWN ARROW
3. select ..SHOW 0RIGINAL


You will see Received by ...
and RETURN PATH and 
Authentication- Results :...etc etc


4. While you are in the same box, you can select REPORT PHISHING


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## carverman

Phishing emails cont'd

If you happen to be on Yahoo mail, open the mail but do NOT reply.
Go down to bottom near Reply and click on *More*
There are additional features in this box to:

View Full header (ip addresses etc)
Report hacked account
Report a Phishing Scam


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## carverman

March 5/2015...resurgence of the old MICROSOFT SCAM...with a twist... IMTIMIDATION "pay us the money or we "will kill you!"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ecorded-threatening-to-kill-b-c-man-1.2980453

This conversation was recorded on his cellphone. Funny. 

This scam has been around a long time now, but the scammers (from India) are getting desperate, it seems..with intimidation now.
Victims get a cold call from someone with an " east indian accent" claiming that that they are from "Microsoft" and your computer is "corrupted" and if you let them into your computer, they will "clean" your computer......and your pocketbook at the same time.



> According to Microsoft, every year more than 2.8 million Canadians get a tech scam call. Of those, more than 200,000 people lose money.


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## Beaver101

^ I wonder if the threathening scammer called Mr. D on his cellphone or his landline, knowing Mr. D's full name and address? And if law enforcement is taking these threatening calls seriously? I think the best self-help solution to these obscene calls is not to respond to them at all either via caller ID (unrecognized call) or a voice message machine.


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## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ^ I wonder if the threatening scammer called Mr. D on his cellphone or his landline, knowing Mr. D's full name and address? And if law enforcement is taking these threatening calls seriously? I think the best self-help solution to these obscene calls is not to respond to them at all either via caller ID (unrecognized call) or a voice message machine.


The scammers hide in India and they have been trained by Microsoft obviously, because Microsoft
transfered pretty much all their support to India, so with all these Microsoft trained "support",
they try their luck at scamming believing they will never be caught there.

There isn't much the police here can do to find them, and these scammers know that, 
why this one in the video was so bold as to make this kind of threatening remark. 

Unless the Indian police co-operate, there isn't much they can do to shut them down, so this will continue. 

The calls can come in on landline or cellphone. 
Usually, unless it's an unlisted number, the scammers can find the phone number and name from an online directory listing service.... such as "youmail.com/directory/phone/". 

It will give them a bunch of phone number listings and the scammers try their phishing luck with cold calls.

If the victim falls for it and allows the scam artist to get into their computer, they can plant all sorts of malware to track, banking numbers, credit card numbers etc...and they are bold enough to demand several
hundred dollars payment on the spot while they are in the victims computer. 

If the victim refuses to pay with a credit card, they will leave some dangerous malware in the victims computer. As a result, if the unsuspecting and trusting victim's computer wasn't infected before the scam artists was allowed in, it could certainly be infected after. 

*This is a first hand example of what happens when technology and training of that technology is exported
to third world countries. *


----------



## carverman

A new use for bitcoins. 

CBC mentioned this scam on the national news last night...it's been around for quite a while. 

The Phishing must be good..still quite a few suckers out there that haven't been caught yet.

I can't believe how naive some of the home computer owners are..but some still are if they are not up to date with the latest virus protection and Malwarebytes to detect malware. Yes, if you open mail
that you don't know who is sending it, you might very well get infected without even knowing it
Delete it without opening immediately. 

Saves a lot of grief and" out of pocket expense" having to deal with cyber criminals which are always looking for new innovative ways to scam you. 

With flash drives/data keys so cheap these days, why don't people just back up all the family photos on
a data stick for additional protection in case of situations like these or a computer failure/hard disk crash. 

Victims


> run a home business programming and selling Android TV boxes, *but their tech background didn't stop them from falling victim.*
> 
> They had backed up their data on an external hard drive, *but kept it plugged in to the computer*
> allowing it to become infected along with the rest of the computer.





> Cybercriminals target photos, videos, spreadsheets, documents, slide presentations — anything that someone will pay to recover.* The initial infection takes seconds*.





> In some cases, the malicious software encrypts the files so their owners can no longer read them. The data isn't compromised or removed, just locked down and inaccessible.





> Try to access them and a ransom demand appears. Typically, cybercriminals *demand upward of $500 US, paid in the untraceable cybercurrency bitcoins.*


http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/1.2962106


----------



## carverman

Just another scam in disguise....
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...s-for-hopeless-mismatches-women-say-1.3007604


----------



## carverman

More scams...this time from an "real estate agent" that had her mailboxed hacked...customer wired $10,000 to "her" and lost it!

After signing the deal, in person, (client) received an email from (real estate agent) account asking for another $10,000. It turns out that the agent’s account had been hacked and the request for money was bogus.

The real estate brokerage refuses to compensate the client for her loss. She and her mother fear that whoever had access to her account may steal her identity.

the story..
http://globalnews.ca/news/1989075/realtors-security-breach-costs-young-home-buyer-10k/


----------



## yyz

Yes that one was sad to hear with absolutely no coverage at all by the Cambridge/Kitchener newspapers at all.I saw it last week on the Global news.


----------



## Beaver101

*TD Bank warns of text phishing scam

A fake mass text was sent out Wednesday (July 8, 2015) morning telling people — including those who don't even bank with TD — that their account was suspended.*

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/07/08/td-bank-warns-of-text-phishing-scam.html


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> *TD Bank warns of text phishing scam
> 
> A fake mass text was sent out Wednesday (July 8, 2015) morning telling people — including those who don't even bank with TD — that their account was suspended.*


The fraudsters are getting bold and will try anything these days including cold calls pretending they are CRA and they demand payment immediately with prepaid
credit cards that are not traceable once cashed

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pre...s-on-rise-canadians-losing-millions-1.3141804
and this..

http://www.moneysense.ca/taxes/how-to-protect-yourself-from-cra-phone-scams/

Obviously there must be a lot of gullible people out there and the hunting is lucrative for the fraudsters.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1995781/a...of-cra-scams-spike-heres-one-to-look-out-for/

Be FOPEWARNED people : its only going to get worse as time goes on.

Btw..they tried this 'suspended account" trick on me, but I referred the complete email with header to the criminal investigation branch of the financial institution I bank with.


----------



## Beaver101

^


> ... Btw..they tried this 'suspended account" trick on me, but I referred the complete email with header to the criminal investigation branch of the financial institution I bank with.


 ... any follow up made by your banking financial institution other than a generic auto-response like "we take these fake emails seriously, man".


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ^ ... any follow up made by your banking financial institution other than a generic auto-response like "we take these fake emails seriously, man".


Yes, I know, that it isn't going very far with the banks. If you get scammed they just tell you too bad for being stupid, but of course we don't send you phishing emails.

Some banks tell you right as soon as you access their website. 

The fraudsters are getting sophisticated..they must be graduates of the "next generation fraud school". When people get wise to one scheme, they try another
until they find one that is lucrative..such as people giving them the information they are seeking.


----------



## sags

The internet made mail scamming almost free.

They don't have to put a stamp on the envelope of a scam letter anymore.

Email addresses have become valuable commodities as they can mail out millions of scam emails and only need one or two responses to make money.


----------



## carverman

sags said:


> The internet made mail scamming almost free.
> 
> They don't have to put a stamp on the envelope of a scam letter anymore.
> 
> Email addresses have become valuable commodities as they can mail out millions of scam emails and only need one or two responses to make money.


It doesn't just happen to be emails either..car salesmen have been at it for a long time...they can scam you without you even knowing it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/21-car-buying-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them-2012-10?op=1


----------



## Beaver101

sags said:


> The internet made mail scamming almost free.
> 
> They don't have to put a stamp on the envelope of a scam letter anymore.
> 
> Email addresses have become valuable commodities as they can mail out millions of scam emails and only need one or two responses to make money.


 ... true.




carverman said:


> It doesn't just happen to be emails either..car salesmen have been at it for a long time...they can scam you without you even knowing it. ...


 ... that's why people need to be informed or reminded to be vigilante, hence, this thread. Thanks for sharing. Hmmm... gives me an idea ... formation of an anti-scam squad.


----------



## Eclectic12

The other one when buying a vehicle is to negotiate the price before providing any id. 

There have been reports in the past when the salesman/office person use the id provided to run a quick credit check & adjust the price accordingly (upwards ... of course ... )


Cheers


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ... true.
> 
> 
> ... that's why people need to be informed or* reminded to be vigilante,* hence, this thread. Thanks for sharing. Hmmm... gives me an idea ... formation of an anti-scam squad.


Oh... so you want us to form a posse as vigilantes...instead of just being vigilant? 

We need a website "hangin' tree" for those scoundrels"..worse than horse thieves in my book.


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Oh... so you want us to form a posse as vigilantes...instead of just being vigilant?
> 
> *We need a website "hangin' tree" for those scoundrels"..worse than horse thieves in my book*.


 ... how about you start one? Perfect candidate for the job... job qualifications: a nasty senior, but not limited to only seniors. :biggrin:


----------



## 6811

Beaver101 said:


> ... how about you start one? Perfect candidate for the job... job qualifications: a nasty senior, but not limited to only seniors. :biggrin:


I'll join! :biggrin:


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ... how about you start one? Perfect candidate for the job... job qualifications: a nasty senior, but not limited to only seniors. :biggrin:


Nasty?..well I AM a SENIOR member here. :biggrin:

I hate all scammers..I guess I'm like the Tasmanian devil when Bugs Bunny reads his bio and list of things A-Z that Tasmanian devils (with those nasty dispositions like to eat), 
...starting with Aardvarks..... and goes down to "Z" (zee) and says..."there is nothing
here about rabbits..and TAZ writes in the book of creatures that the Tasmanian devil likes to devour...."especially rabbits"..

so it is with me.." especially scammers, fraudsters, carpetbaggers, car salesmen (but not the carsales girls..they are kinda cute), cheaters, pickpockets ..etc ..etc.. 
and of course... gypsies...*Ptew! *.."I hate gypsies' when they pick your pockets.


----------



## Beaver101

6811 said:


> I'll join! :biggrin:


 ... great! Any particular area(s) of scamming would you like to focus or tackle on? Don't hesitate to post and offer your alternate or unique remedial solution(s), may it be feather tarring, water-boarding, etc. for these low-life crooks. :encouragement:


----------



## carverman

This should be filed under "Scammers try harder to get your money:

A CTV reporter in the newsroom got a call out of the blue of some guy with an East Indian accent claiming to be credit card services" and he wanted the expiry date and the card number
to give the card holder a reduced interest rate from 19% to 6% for the rest of the card holders "life"...but first he needed to verify the credit card information.

CTV Consumer Alert:
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=656884


----------



## carverman

Telephone scam with recording telling you :
"congratulations, you are preferred Westjet customer and qualify for $999 in free WestJet .." to collect this reward..press 0..



> Phone Scam Alert
> 
> Telephone scammers are impersonating WestJet in an attempt to steal your personal information. WestJet does not use telemarketers or share guests' personal information. If you receive a call indicating that you've won "WestJet points/miles" or are a "preferred customer" please hang up. Visit http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/ for more info on this and other types of scams.


more on this:
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/travel/basics/security-travel-alert/scams.shtml


----------



## fraser

Daughter got a call today from someone purporting to be from CIBC. Person said he was calling from CIBC about unauthorized charges on her VISA. The bank does not have her home phone, only her cell, and the caller ID listed a Texas number.

He was looking for account information.

She told him to pound sand and hung up.


----------



## Guban

Got a call from "TD" saying that there was an odd charge on our credit card "starting with the numbers 45" to eBay. Would not elaborate on the details without verifying certain information about me. Yeah right. Hung up, called TD and was able to confirm that there wasn't any unusual activity.

Shouldn't this activity be illegal? Oh wait, it probably is. Good luck having anything done, however. Talking to criminals doesn't make my day. I feel like I talked to a person wearing a mask, holding a big bag and a gun walking into a bank. And there is nothing that I can do.


----------



## Beaver101

fraser said:


> Daughter got a call today from someone purporting to be from CIBC. Person said he was calling from CIBC about unauthorized charges on her VISA. The bank does not have her home phone, only her cell, and the caller ID listed a Texas number.
> 
> He was looking for account information.
> 
> *She told him to pound sand and hung up*.


 ... LOL! I would love to do that with these scammers and those annoying marketers, only that I'm too lazy to pick up the phone even. I'm thinking of changing voice message on machine to say: for operator, press 0 or dial 411. for main menu, press 9.


----------



## Beaver101

Guban said:


> Got a call from "TD" saying that there was an odd charge on our credit card "starting with the numbers 45" to eBay. Would not elaborate on the details without verifying certain information about me. Yeah right. Hung up, called TD and was able to confirm that there wasn't any unusual activity.
> 
> Shouldn't this activity be illegal? Oh wait, it probably is. Good luck having anything done, however. Talking to criminals doesn't make my day. I feel like I talked to a person wearing a mask, holding a big bag and a gun walking into a bank. And there is nothing that I can do.


 ... the good old voice machine does a great job of screening out unwanted calls as all scammers would not leave any kind of callback # or messages. No answering, no info provided, auto-good-bye, adios!


----------



## kcowan

We get one call that starts the recording upon the answering machine kicking in and asks us to press 1 if we want really low interest rates.


----------



## OurBigFatWallet

Does anyone know how the phone call scam works? Everyone seems to be familiar with some variation of it. It's always a recording that promises something good right away with no strings attached. Sometimes you've won a free flight, or a free vacation, or some other item - but they always want you to press 1 to "claim" your prize. What exactly happens when you press 1?


----------



## tkirk62

You will be redirected to someone who has some verification questions to ask. Among these questions will be your credit card number.


----------



## OptsyEagle

That one usually goes like this. You win a free flight, hotel for a week, all you can eat and drink. Value in the $5,000 to $10,000. You are just required by regulation to pay for the exit visa tax that the Caribbean island requires. It's only $620, and for convenience you can put that on your credit card. Congratulations.

Don't hold your breath for those tickets to show up in the mail.


----------



## RachII

Had a call left on my answering machine that said the following: "This is Officer Jonathon Knight of the CRA. The reason for the call is to notify you that there is a Federal investigation on your name. It is in regard to the suspicious activity suspected in the recent auditors report. You need to call me back at 613-800-7409. Don't try to disregard the message or else it will be taken as an offence on your end. Once again this is Officer Jonathon Knight of the CRA blah blah...."

I googled the name and found he has even used the same name, or a slight variation, in the same scan attempt with countless others. Like there is some kind of scamming fraternity he wants to impress. Or more likely he's not too bright. Almost makes you wish you knew someone with a "very particular set of skills" (Liam Neeson style) who could find Mr. Knight and let him know what most of us think of his efforts to steal from senior citizens.


----------



## Davis

^Scam artists will sometimes make their scams somewhat obvious so that smart/suspicious people don't contact them. The Nigerian prince emails are usually badly written for that reason. The scammers don't want to waste their time on you; they only want to hear back from stupid people who are more kindly to fall for the scam.


----------



## Beaver101

RachII said:


> Had a call left on my answering machine that said the following: "This is Officer Jonathon Knight of the CRA. The reason for the call is to notify you that there is a Federal investigation on your name. It is in regard to the suspicious activity suspected in the recent auditors report. You need to call me back at 613-800-7409. Don't try to disregard the message or else it will be taken as an offence on your end. Once again this is Officer Jonathon Knight of the CRA blah blah...."
> 
> I googled the name and found he has even used the same name, or a slight variation, in the same scan attempt with countless others. Like there is some kind of scamming fraternity he wants to impress. Or more likely he's not too bright. *Almost makes you wish you knew someone with a "very particular set of skills" (Liam Neeson style) who could find Mr. Knight and let him know what most of us think of his efforts to steal from senior citizens*.


 ... :encouragement: :encouragement:


----------



## kcowan

Got an email from iTunes with a receipt for $58 for tunes purchases. Pure phishing


----------



## Micvanlen

I read a good post recently that tax time brings out lots of fraudulent activity. https://calgarybookkeeping.org/2016/04/11/how-to-spot-fraudulent-activity-at-tax-time/


----------



## carverman

These fraudsters are getting very creative. got an email claming it was from PayPal and asking why I hadn't downloaded their PayPal app.
My Malwarebytes detected it right away and a popup from my Malware program informed me it was a malicious email address.
upon checking, yes it was a bit strange. 

Forwarded this eamail to spoof at PayPal for investigation 

*Here is what the email header looks like:
*
from:	PayPal <[email protected]>
reply-to:	"[email protected]" <[email protected]>
to:	`my mailid`@gmail.com
date:	Thu, May 5, 2016 at 8:18 AM
subject:	Tried the new PayPal app yet, Daniel?
mailed-by:	mail.paypal.ca
signed-by:	mail.paypal.ca
unsubscribe:	Unsubscribe from this sender
encryption:	Standard (TLS) Learn more


*Here is PayPals reply
*
Dear 'my id``
Thank you for partnering with PayPal to combat fraudulent emails. We
take reports of suspicious email very seriously. Your submission helps
us identify potentially malicious activity and take the appropriate
action needed to protect our customers.
Did you know that approximately 90% of all email sent worldwide falls
into the spoof, phishing, spam, and general junk category? By submitting
reports of suspicious email to us you are helping to address this
problem.
To help you identify suspicious email, below are a few things that
PayPal will never do in an email communication:
1. Send an email to: "Undisclosed Recipients" or more than one email
address
2. Ask you to download a form or file to resolve an issue
3. Ask to verify an account using personal information such as name,
date of birth, driver license, or address
4. Ask to verify an account using bank account information such as bank
name, routing number, or PIN number
5. Ask to verify an account using credit card information such as credit
card number or type, expiration date, ATM PIN number, or CVV2 security
code
6. Ask you for your security question answers without displaying each
security question you created
7. Ask you to ship an item, pay a shipping fee, send a Western Union
Money Transfer, or provide a tracking number before the payment received
is available in your transaction history
Any time you receive an email about activity to your PayPal account, the
safest way to confirm the validity is to login directly to the PayPal
website and review the relevant section. If you see suspicious activity,
you would do the following:
1. Open a new browser and type in "www.paypal.com"
2. Log in to your PayPal account.
3. Click "Activity" near the top of the page.
4. Click on the suspicious transaction to expand the details.
5. Click "Report this as unauthorized"
6. Complete the report process on the next screen.
If you have any other questions about PayPal security, please visit the
PayPal Security Center.
Thanks again for your help.
PayPal Security


----------



## Micvanlen

Here's a post that can help with Tax related fraud activity. Most of the information is also on the CRA webstie. https://calgarybookkeeping.org/2016/04/11/how-to-spot-fraudulent-activity-at-tax-time/


----------



## eshazu

*scams*

wow this is some of the most scariest things people have to deal with. I'm usually cautious of giving out my inf but i know lot of people don't even think twice from door to door to these pyramid scheme. if pyramid schemes are illegal why do i hear people trying to recruit people for product


----------



## carverman

*******MORE ONLINE COMPUTER SCAMS******

This one is referred to as* RANSOMWARE.* 

It is a malicious piece of devious hacker activity that finds it way into your PC (windows) computer
without you even knowing it until it's too late. It runs in background mode and locks up your important data files with an encrypted key that only can be unlocked if you pay the hackers $$$$$ to satisfy their demands.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.2903405




> The ransomware we see today is so sophisticated that the advanced encryption it uses makes it impossible to get your files back without paying the ransom. Unfortunately, online and locally connected backup systems fail as an effective countermeasure. This is because ransomware actively looks for different types of backup systems and encrypts the saved files. In the case of online backups, automatic file uploads may corrupt files thought secure.





> Most of today’s security software simply cannot protect you from ransomware. Ransomware does not act like traditional malware: some are automatically updated every day, and even use polymorphic (shapeshifting!) code to evade detection. This makes it exceedingly hard to detect.


Malwarebytes has a beta software pgm that can be downloaded for free, to detect and stop this criminal activity before it affects your computer.
just google for a free download but be careful. Use internet security software to make sure it is a trusted site before doing any downloads.

I've got the malwarebytes free test trial *anti-exploit * version,but apparently even this is not enough to stay ahead
of the hacker, who have discovered a way to make easy money..hold your computer for ransom.

An Ottawa hospital lost some important data files because they were not willing to pay the ransom.

It's getting to the point that there are so many hackers out there looking for victims that we have to pay for protection.
Welcome to the internet!


----------



## carverman

*******UPDATE on Ransomware*;*******

A local Ottawa Charity had it's files and computer seized up by untraceable Ransomware. 
*$500 US ransom demanded*
Charity ended up paying as there was nothing the police could do. 



> Recent versions of ransomware, Cantwell said, are getting harder and harder to crack.
> 
> "In this case there is no recovery software. The only recovery software is what the thieves have and you have to buy it from them. So to me, this is the most malicious virus that you can get," Cantwell said.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ransomware-hack-bark-charity-virus-1.3585039

So be warned. It is a reality today. Make sure YOU and your computer is protected.


----------



## 319905

^ And if they'd simply done off-line backups now and then, no worries. It's a smartphone problem as well ... friend of my son had all the travel pics on his phone encrypted, was texted pay to get the key ... he declined.


----------



## Mukhang pera

Anyone else getting this one? I have received 2 similar in the last 2 weeks:

-Dear TaxPayer:

-Canada Revenue Agency has sent you an INTERAC e-Transfer (previously INTERAC Email Money Transfer).

-Amount - $491.33 CAD

-Sender’s Message - A message was not provided

-Expiry Date - May 18 2016
-Action Required:
-To deposit your money, click here: http://informationcrataxes.from-id.com/supporttaxrefundonlinecanada/

-2016 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Online Support


Clicking on the link takes one to a site that masquerades as a CRA site and asks for personal info.


----------



## carverman

Mukhang pera said:


> Anyone else getting this one? I have received 2 similar in the last 2 weeks:
> 
> -Dear TaxPayer:
> 
> -Canada Revenue Agency has sent you an INTERAC e-Transfer (previously INTERAC Email Money Transfer).
> 
> -Amount - $491.33 CAD
> 
> -Sender’s Message - A message was not provided
> 
> -Expiry Date - May 18 2016
> -Action Required:
> -To deposit your money, click here: http://informationcrataxes.from-id.com/supporttaxrefundonlinecanada/
> 
> -2016 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Online Support
> 
> 
> Clicking on the link takes one to a site that masquerades as a CRA site and asks for personal info.


The url says it all..but you can't blame the cyber crooks for being creative.
Not too many out there who are computer savvy would fall for this, but there is always a few who can't read the email header
and think it's real. Expect a lot more of these phishing emails..with millions of unemployed "microsoft trained" masqueraders, there
will be a lot more like this.


----------



## borisdavenport

Anybody familiar with crypto locker? These are extremely dangerous and high-end software bots helping the banking frauds:upset:


----------



## RachII

My ship has finally come in! Got this on email. Any tips where we should put our millions?

Dear,
How are you today,My name is Usman Mohammed I am 25 years old, and my younger sister name is Salamatu 22 years old,we are Citizens of Liberia currently in Ghana to claim our family inheritance which we have decided to invest into real estate development and other lucrative business in your country.i was looking for a good person that will help us when i came across your contact then i decided to contact you to help me and my sister to receive and invest our fund in your country.

Our late father Alhaji Danladi Mohammed who was living in Ghana made a deposit of family treasure that contains $8.5million usd and 50killograms of gold dust in a safe keeping company in Ghana.our father was a local gold miner,cocoa farmer,gold and diamond dealer in Ghana and ivory coast ,so he made a lot of money before he died in a fatal car accident.

Please according to my late father's lawyer all we need now before these boxes can leave Ghana to your country is your full support and clear mind,Once you agree to help us move this fund, we will link you up with our late father's lawyer who will help us in securing all the necessary documents for the shipment or transfer of the money out. As soon as we agree, we will come to your country where I and my sister will invest the money under your guide. So please let us know what will be your compensation or percentage for helping me and my sister out.

I wait for your favorable reply and please feel free if you have any question to ask.I have all the legal documents covering the fund and gold.

Thanks and be bless
Best regard.Usman Mohammed.


----------



## carverman

RachII said:


> My ship has finally come in! Got this on email. Any tips where we should put our millions?


 Oh yes....The old Nigerian rich <uncle,father, king, banker> scam again. 



> Dear<sucker>
> How are you today,My name is Usman Mohammed I am 25 years old, and my younger sister name is Salamatu 22 years old,we are Citizens of Liberia currently in Ghana to claim our family inheritance which we have decided to invest into real estate development and other lucrative business in your country.i was looking for a good person that will help us when i came across your contact then i decided to contact you to help me and my sister to receive and invest our fund in your country.
> 
> Our late father Alhaji Danladi Mohammed who was living in Ghana made a deposit of family treasure that contains $8.5million usd and 50killograms of gold dust in a safe keeping company in Ghana.our father was a local gold miner,cocoa farmer,gold and diamond dealer in Ghana and ivory coast ,so he made a lot of money before he died in a fatal car accident.
> 
> Please according to my late father's lawyer all we need now before these boxes can leave Ghana to your country is your full support and clear mind,Once you agree to help us move this fund, *we will link you up with our late father's lawyer who will help us in securing all the necessary documents for the shipment or transfer of the money out*. As soon as we agree, we will come to your country where I and my sister will invest the money under your guide. *So please let us know what will be your compensation or percentage for helping me and my sister out.*


Surprisingly the scam artist's knowledge of English is not that bad. 
Compensation...oh yes, they send you a phony check that they want you to cash and send them back the money for their air fare to come over and "meet with you". :biggrin:


----------



## carverman

Just got (another phishing) email from "Robyn Beard" (CEO) of a "mondoballoon" website with a phony invoice attached, and a note that this invoice from June 11, had not been paid and they were seeking payment.

I don't order balloons online, but some how they got my email and tried to scam me. * I just deleted the email without even opening the attached invoice
which could have contained a TROJAN or even a virus...like a ransom virus.*

*IF YOU RECEIVE ANY UNSOLICITED emails with this website or similar. DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS! * You could be sorry.


----------



## Beaver101

^ Mondoballoon ... WTH is that?!


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ^ Mondoballoon ... WTH is that?!


Just another Phony website. They must send out millions of these phishing emails hoping there will be a few suckers that will open the phone invoice asking for payment out of curiosity.

This morning in my SPAM filter, I got another one from "Junior Irwin" asking for payment. for something..in the subject line..I deleted it along with the rest of the spam...sigh!

It's a virtual minefield out there on the internet these days. Lots of cyber criminals looking for easy prey.

You have to be diligent, delete these phishing emails, and avoid the temptation of opening them to see what it's all about.

Protect your computer with a good firewall, anti-virus and anti-malware. The only way these cyber criminals can sneak
into your computer is by opening phishing email attachments (such as a Pdf formatted file) or going to their website downloading some "freebee" from their website.


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Just another Phony website. They must send out millions of these phishing emails hoping there will be a few suckers that will open the phone invoice asking for payment out of curiosity.
> 
> This morning in my SPAM filter, I got another one from "Junior Irwin" asking for payment. for something..in the subject line..I deleted it along with the rest of the spam...sigh!
> *
> It's a virtual minefield out there on the internet these days. Lots of cyber criminals looking for easy prey.*
> 
> You have to be diligent, delete these phishing emails, and avoid the temptation of opening them to see what it's all about.
> 
> Protect your computer with a good firewall, anti-virus and anti-malware. The only way these cyber criminals can sneak
> into your computer is by opening phishing email attachments (such as a Pdf formatted file) or going to their website downloading some "freebee" from their website.


 ... and it's going to get worst than better. Pretty soon, we can't tell which emails are legit, even those coming from presumed legit sites ... this cyber-phishing is spreading like a contagion with no anti-dotes to prevent from hacking into your pc.


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ... and it's going to get worst than better. Pretty soon, we can't tell which emails are legit, even those coming from presumed legit sites ... this cyber-phishing is spreading like a contagion with no anti-dotes to prevent from hacking into your pc.


I think that by now most PC home computer savvy individuals will have a pretty good idea of which emails are legit and which ones are just spam. Some mail servers have a lot more spam on them and you have to set up filters. Yahoo.ca is one of them. I don't know why it's even still around these days.

I have received some email in my inbox that looked legit if you read the first line (like Paypal) and if you open it, they include a link for you to access to give them more information about your banking and identity. Exposing the header will give you some idea, but most of the time, these are redirected and come from virtual network servers (VPN) and phony websites. 

Sometimes you have to know what to do with these phishing emails and it should raise your suspicion as soon as you
receive it. 

As far a hacking into your PC, it's hard for them, especially if you have a firewall. What they usually want from you is some kind of payment (as in the recent case), hoping that you don't remember what you ordered on Fleabay or CL a while back,and willing to supply them with personal information for payment...ie: Phony invoice that you "supposedly" have not paid yet.

Most legit websites like EBay or Amazon or big box stores will have a secure link to make your payment for your order at the time of the order and send you a receipt to your email as verification of your order.

However, there are always those out there that don't remember what they ordered a few weeks ago and getting an email to "pay up" out of blue (even if it's in an inbox and not in a spam filter) will get caught, because they are unsuspecting and curious at the same time.


----------



## frauds_by_casinos

*Beware of Canadian Casinos and Lottery*

Beware of Canadian Casinos and Lottery in Ontario and Quebec are committing fraud and cheating is very common. See the details at this thread:

http://canadianmoneyforum.com/showt...ada-is-committing-fraud?p=1223833#post1223833


----------



## 319905

"As a friendly reminder, please be mindful of safeguarding your EQ Bank account details. As part of our EQ Bank global security program, we’ve recently noticed an increasing number of fake Interac e-Transfers® being sent to Canadian banking customers. These are phishing scams and you should never open any attachments or links that may accompany or be embedded in the emails or text messages. If you unexpectedly receive an Interac e-Transfer® notification, please confirm with the sender prior to accepting it."


----------



## carverman

MORE SCAMS. it's hard to keep up with them these days!

This time it's a trojan, locking up your windows so you can't close them, with a warning that your computer is infected and you should call a 1-877 number..so their team can clean up the virus infecting your computer..for a price of course.
This infection usually comes in the back door when visiting certain sites or downloading from non trusted sites..
surfing the internet. 
*
DO NOT CALL the number given...JUST DO A RESTART TO GET RID OF THE TROJAN!
*
Once your computer comes up from the restart, the trojan is gone, and your windows should operate normally.
Use a good antivirus program and scan your computer to make sure it is a false threat and no actual virus is in your system,
Use MalwareBytes and scan for malware, trojans and other garbage out there on the internet.


----------



## 319905

^ Have you considered not exposing your back door by simply not visiting those "certain sites"? :encouragement:


----------



## carverman

rikk2 said:


> ^ Have you considered not exposing your back door by simply not visiting those "certain sites"? :encouragement:


No it wasn't a porn site. I know that you are very vulnerable to inviting trojans if you visit those.
However, I was trolling the internet looking for information on an insurance policy to prevent my ex from attacking my estate, when it hit out of the blue. 

Funny but neither my Norton antivirus internet security, nor my MalwareBytes Anti Exploit picked it up before I did the restart. But Microsoft did, and warned me with a popup.

*UPDATE:13/09/2016*
I did full antivirus scans and malware scans and *neither security software (paid subscriptions) picked up any
corruption or trojans or worms or whatever *inside the computer, so the lockup was just the Google browser.

I have every security feature turned on inside my computer, so I don't know how the exploiting hackers out
there are still getting through.

The incident yesterday was when I was surfing a website looking for some information on a possible estate
insurance policy when they locked up my screen. A restart got rid of the infection, but I'm not sure how
to prevent it, as I have a good internet security firewall set up with Norton, but still they manage to get through into
the browser. 

Not sure what is needed to protect the browser from this happening. Maybe change it from
Google to Mozilla Firefox?


----------



## amitdi

rikk2 said:


> ^ Have you considered not exposing your back door by simply not visiting those "certain sites"? :encouragement:


these also popup a lot when you are watching pirated stuff. sometimes adblock doesnt work that well, sites are smarter


----------



## zylon

*844 is not an area code*

"The 844 prefix is a not an area code, but a new toll free number that went into effect just a few months ago." 

"These fake collection calls are very persuasive and the caller will have personal information that is used to convince the victim (sometimes even their Social Security number)."


844 'Area Code' Used In Phantom Debt Scam



Also used in Canada as I rec'd a message from an 844 number a couple days ago.


----------



## carverman

zylon said:


> "The 844 prefix is a not an area code, but a new toll free number that went into effect just a few months ago."
> 
> "These fake collection calls are very persuasive and the caller will have personal information that is used to convince the victim (sometimes even their Social Security number)."
> 
> 
> 844 'Area Code' Used In Phantom Debt Scam
> 
> 
> 
> Also used in Canada as I rec'd a message from an 844 number a couple days ago.


Good to know. There are so many different types of scams these days, it's hard to keep track of them!

from the the link you posted ..


> Please take a moment and warn your friends and family.
> 
> *Helping you make the most of God's money! *


I like this last line.."God's money"....not all of it belongs to God though ..and it certainly seems to be the root of all evil on this earth. 
Just remember folks...money and possessions are temporary in life....you come into this world with NOTHING and you leave with NOTHING!

Ok, some of us may have some money in the bank at the time, real estate and other possessions which becomes part of your estate..for your beneficiaries who still amongst the living to fight over.

Rhetorical Question: Can anyone ask God for a outright gift of money..or even a loan?


----------



## stantistic

*Ransomware reconsidered*


 In this forum, there are two postings on this subject. However what I find missing on this subject  is the probability of an average home computer user or small business person being affected by ransomware. Generally, the media articles are designed to attract eyeballs and are sensationalistic. Canadians who have experienced extortion s are reluctant to publicize that fact. So I am left not knowing what is the approximate probability of being affected. 

 A reasonably balanced article is 
http://www.metafilter.com/163922/Pop-Pop-Popopopopopopopop 
Any comments ?


----------



## 319905

As posted somewhere else, one of my son's buddies used his smartphone for pics travelling through Europe ... the phone was compromised, a ransom was requested to have his pics decrypted ... he decided no ... just saying, seems like anybody can be a target.


----------



## AltaRed

If a person has their OS up to date, and in the case of Windows machines, using their Defender software + Malwarebytes*, there is very little risk. 

That said, it is best to do daily or weekly backups of all 'files' on to USB sticks or external HDD that is not connected to the computer. I have one external HDD that is connected to my PC as backup, but I have a second external HDD where I do random backups too...that is kept in a file drawer. That way, I can tell the ransomware scumbags to 'go stick it'.

* I have only the freebie version which only scans on request which I do at least weekly. The Premium version has 'real time' monitoring but I am too cheap for now to buy it.


----------



## carverman

AltaRed said:


> If a person has their OS up to date, and in the case of Windows machines, using their Defender software + Malwarebytes*, there is very little risk.


I subscribe use Norton internet security and *set up the firewall for highest level of security*. It notifies me if there is an attempt to penetrate my Norton defences. I don't trust the MS Defender software, but this is my opinion only.

If MS Windows Defenders works for you and it's free with your version of the OS, use it.



> That said, it is best to do daily or *weekly backups of all 'files' on to USB sticks *or external HDD that is not connected to the computer. I have one external HDD that is connected to my PC as backup, but I have a second external HDD where I do random backups too...that is kept in a file drawer. That way, I can tell the ransomware scumbags to 'go stick it'.


I have both. 
A 1 terabytye HDD that I take an image of what's on my PC on a regular basis and *several 8GB*, USB sticks, that have tons of storage for picture files and text files. 
As soon as I am done backing up any new files on my USB stick, I REMOVE it. 
This way the ransomware hacker cybercrooks can't get at it, and if it ever should happen..I can just reboot my
computer and put back any original files back on myh PC...very simple and dirt cheap too.

You can get 8GB USB sticks for $6-$8 dollars on Amazon with free shipping in most cases..*so there is no excuse NOT TO BACK UP YOUR IMPORTANT FILES THESE DAYS*...the hacking and ransomware will only continue getting worse and worse as time goes on, so best be prepared in case you ever get hit....
this way, you don't have to pay them in bitcoins.
You can also be sure t*hat once you pay them..they will know your ISP address and hit you again *when you are vulnerable..if you don't protect yourself and your computer.



> * I have only the freebie version which only scans on request which I do at least weekly. The Premium version has 'real time' monitoring but I am too cheap for now to buy it.


I have the Malwarebytes paid version. I runs weekly scans automatically and informs me through a popup whether malware or non malware has been detected and each instance of it that it finds.

I just have to go into the Malwarebytes action needed file and check off each one of the unwanted barnacles called PUPs (potential unused program) that needs to be quarantined. These could be spyware that send
back information on how you use your computer or something even more sinister!

Once the files are quarantined, they can't do anything inside your computer,
and the *next restart clears them out completely.*

I also subscribe to MalwareBytes Anti-Exploit PREMIUM, which is their version *anti-ransomware detector*.
It runs all the time and gives me an indicator whether an attempt has been made or not.

Here's what PCmagazine has to say about it:



> Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free doesn't spend bandwidth on updates, and it takes up just 3MB on disk. It's a worthwhile addition to your collection of security tools. You won't even know it's there, unless it blocks an exploit. For those who are mainly worried about Web-based attacks, the browser protection it offers may be sufficient. If you're also concerned about targeted attacks, or attacks coming via documents and PDFs, considering springing for Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Premium.


My Motto is: *Use belt and suspenders at the same time*..this way you will never be caught with your pants down...if you know what I mean...embarrassed because you got caught by the hackers/cyber criminals out there now in numerous quantities..:rolleyes-new:


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion

I find it interesting/helpful to look at Norton's (or equivalent program) security history periodically to see what's been happening. Looking just now, pretty quiet, a high risk exe file was quaranteened in August and trojan swifi killed off in July. Everything else is tracking cookies that Norton feasts on regularly.


----------



## carverman

OnlyMyOpinion said:


> I find it interesting/helpful to look at Norton's (or equivalent program) security history periodically to see what's been happening. Looking just now, pretty quiet, a high risk exe file was quaranteened in August and trojan swifi killed off in July.* Everything else is tracking cookies that Norton feasts on regularly*.


Lots of those these days. As soon as you visit a website, you can get those uninvited whether you want them or not.

so lets examine some definitions of what these potential unwanted programs are (PUPs)
So what exactly is a tracking cookie?



> Tracking Cookies are a specific type of cookie that is distributed, shared, and read across two or more unrelated Web sites for the *purpose of gathering information or potentially to present customized data to you*. ... Tracking cookies are not harmful like malware, worms, or viruses, but they can be a privacy concern.


*Now, the more dangerous virus malware.*

*Trojan*: Malware 



> *A Trojan virus works by obtaining unauthorized access to a computer's hard drive with the intent of causing loss or theft of data.* Once the virus infects a computer it can block access to programs or information, copy data or even cause a disruption in performance.





> Once they're installed, the program will infect other files throughout your system and potentially wreak havoc on your computer. They can even send important information from your computer over the Internet to the developer of the virus. The developer can then essentially control your computer, slowing your system's activity or causing your machine to crash.





> *Though they're not actually viruses, they're referred to as "Trojan horse viruses," "Trojan viruses," "Trojan horses" or just plain "Trojans."* Regardless of what people call them, they all mean same thing. But what happened? How did you let this Trojan horse into your computer in the first place? And what can you do stop one from getting in?





> When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. *Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, *possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.


*Tips to Combat Viruses, Worms and Trojan Horses on Your Computer*
1. Keep The Operating System Updated

The first step in protecting your computer from any malicious there is to ensure that your operating system (OS) is up-to-date. This is essential if you are running a Microsoft Windows OS. 

Secondly, you need to have anti-virus software installed on your system and ensure you download updates frequently to ensure your software has the latest fixes for new viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.

Additionally, you want to make sure your anti-virus program has the *capability to scan e-mail and files as they are downloaded from the Internet, and you also need to run full disk scans periodically.* This will help prevent malicious programs from even reaching your computer.


2. Use a Firewall
You should also install a firewall. A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use and access to your computer. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Hardware firewalls provide a strong degree of protection from most forms of attack coming from the outside world and can be purchased as a stand-alone product or in broadband routers. Unfortunately, when battling viruses, worms and Trojans, a hardware firewall may be less effective than a software firewall, as it could possibly ignore embedded worms in out going e-mails and see this as regular network traffic.

*For individual home users, the most popular firewall choice is a software firewall*. 

A good software firewall will protect your computer from outside attempts to control or gain access your computer, and *usually provides additional protection against the most common Trojan programs or e-mail worms.* 
The downside to software firewalls is that they will only protect the computer they are installed on, not a network.



> It is important to remember that on its own a firewall is not going to rid you of your computer virus problems, but when used in conjunction with regular operating system updates and a good anti-virus scanning software, it will add some extra security and protection for your computer or network


*Worms:* (another form of malware) spread by suspicous emails


> *A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. *Often, it uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security failures on the target computer to access it. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program.


----------



## Beaver101

One can never have enough tips to avoid a scam - 

https://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/2016/12/20/how-credit-card-companies-can-fight-online-scams-roseman.html



> Barrie Zwicker thought he had received an email from Bell Canada, his telecom provider, offering “an exclusive reward” for participating in a short survey.
> 
> His reward was two skin creams, which cost him $6 in postage charges. But when he didn’t return them after 14 days, he found himself automatically enrolled in a subscription deal in which new products arrived every month.
> 
> Zwicker, a retired journalist, realized that he had fallen for a slick scam.
> 
> “It happens that my wife had been saying she needed something for her skin. So it was a ‘perfect storm’ of her wishes and my insufficient attention,” he said.
> 
> “They nicked me to the tune of $398.44 that I’ll try to get back. My skin is glowing right now — with anger.” ...
> Visa Canada said it works to detect and address merchants that generate an excessive amount of fraud or disputes. But in a situation where a cardholder expressly authorizes charges by agreeing to terms and conditions and providing personal information to a merchant, it is not fraud and does not fall under the fraud guarantee.
> 
> Visa’s advice:
> 
> •Take time to read and understand the deal you’re making.
> 
> 
> •Look for buried terms and conditions that may bind you to recurring payments and make returns or cancellations difficult.
> 
> 
> •Look for any pre-checked boxes before submitting your payment. Failing to uncheck the boxes may signify consent to terms and conditions you do not accept.
> 
> 
> •Review the website’s delivery and return policy before you commit to buy.
> 
> 
> •Review your credit card statements carefully at least every month. Notify the card issuer promptly of any unusual activity or unauthorized charges.
> 
> 
> •Report your experience to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or emailing [email protected] .
> 
> 
> Here’s a story that shows how credit-card issuers can do a better job of looking after a customer’s interests.
> 
> When Bruce Gemmell ordered a skin care product promoted by TV host Dr. Oz, Scotiabank Visa’s security department called him. He was told that his $30 order had already been charged to his card, but for $400 — plus an automatic refill shipment every month until cancelled.
> 
> “The person from Visa security suggested we make a conference call to the company. He would help me reverse the transaction, arrange to return the goods and get a credit to my account,” Gemmell said.
> 
> “He actually took control of the call, even waited with me while on hold for at least 30 minutes. He left nothing to chance, making sure I got proper return information, including where and how to ship the goods (prepaid, insured, confirmation of receipt).
> 
> “I know many people complain about the credit card companies, but their security departments need to be acknowledged.”
> 
> Caveat emptor — buyer beware — only goes so far. Let’s stop blaming customers for not reading terms and conditions deliberately hidden from view and start working to release them from unfair deals.


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> One can never have enough tips to avoid a scam -


Some of these online marketing tricks are misleading and can lead to unauthorized charges if you volunteer your CC
information. The other day, I saw an ad about "free movies"...claiming that thousands of Netflix users are cancelling
their Netflix accounts and going over to their "free movie offering' Once you sign up with your email address, they
prompt you for your CC information..$16.95 a month or $24.95 a month charged to your card. 
You get a "free trial" for 5 days only.


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Some of these online marketing tricks are misleading and can lead to unauthorized charges if you volunteer your CC
> information. The other day, I saw an ad about "free movies"...claiming that thousands of Netflix users are cancelling
> their Netflix accounts and going over to their "free movie offering' Once you sign up with your email address, they
> prompt you for your CC information..$16.95 a month or $24.95 a month charged to your card.
> *You get a "free trial" for 5 days only*.


 ... at least they were indicated you get the freebie for "5" days only and not 30, 60 or worst no days indicated.


----------



## Beaver101

Beaver101 said:


> ... at least they were indicated you get the freebie for "5" days only and not 30, 60 or worst no days indicated.


 ... LOL. Anyhow best not to even bother clicking on these ads and get a free viruses or whatelsehaveyouthere.


----------



## like_to_retire

Beaver101 said:


> Barrie Zwicker thought he had received an email from Bell Canada, his telecom provider, offering “an exclusive reward” for participating in a short survey.
> 
> His reward was two skin creams, which cost him $6 in postage charges.....


The _reward_ cost him $6 in postage charges.

Who in their right mind would pay for a reward?

ltr


----------



## Beaver101

^ A "retired journalist"? Too bad he wasn't a lawyer where he could do something about it.


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion

Here's a recent victim of ransomware. The article notes that firewalls and antivirus programs can't help you if you click on that email attachment
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/he...arates-calgarian-from-family-photos-1.3213459


----------



## carverman

OnlyMyOpinion said:


> Here's a recent victim of ransomware. The article notes that firewalls and antivirus programs can't help you if you click on that email attachment, especially the dotzip (.zip)files contained
> in that attachment.


While it's tempting to open email attachments, ransomware and cybercrime is so prevalent these days that if you see an attachment or a link to click on in the email, you better think twice before clicking on it.

BTW, currently, 1 Bitcoin equals $1163.71 Canadian Dollars 
3 bitcoins as the cybercrooks demanded from the Calgary PC user is $3491.13! not small change to say the least!

Why do people still think they are safe from malware these days? 

YOU HAVE TO BACK UP ALL YOUR VALUABLE FILES..PHOTO FILES
and personal files on your PC....if CryptoLocker gets into your system, it will be next to impossible to recover your files unless you *either pay the ransom or backup your system from a previously saved file media*
such as the 8gb to 16gb USB memorys sticks. They are so cheap these days that ignorance is no excuse.



> If the *ransomware prevents you from entering Windows or running programs, as lock-screen viruses typically do,* you can try to use *System Restore to roll Windows back in time*.
> Doing so doesn’t affect your personal files, *but it does return system files and programs to the state they were in at a certain time. *
> The System Restore feature must be enabled beforehand; Windows enables it by default.


and read this arrticle on ransomware viruses from PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2084002/how-to-rescue-your-pc-from-ransomware.html



> If you still can’t find your data, and y*our files really have been malware-encrypted, you’re in trouble: Usually it isn’t possible to just decrypt or unlock your hostage files, because the decryption key is typically stored on the cybercriminal’s server*.
> 
> Some victimized users have reported that some pieces of malware will keep their promise, decrypting and returning your files once you pay (in particular, C*ryptoLocker’s handlers have been diligent about releasing the files of infected users who pay the ransom demand), but I don’t recommend paying*.



(CryptoLocker spreads via *.zip files sent as email attachments,* for example.)


----------



## Beaver101

Now that they have *discovered* this breach and have taken this step, not sure what it means for pcpoints collectors then,

https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/02/20/loblaw-resets-all-pc-plus-passwords-after-breach-steals-member-points.html


----------



## AltaRed

Got the email this morning as well.... Freaking hell.... Is nothing sacred any more?


----------



## Beaver101

^ I'm still waiting for my email alert/notification??? Imagine for those who got their password re-set by pcplus now but don't get an email telling you what's the re-set password ... how the heck are they able to access their account???


----------



## pwm

No email yet. I tried the "forgot password" option as they say in the sign on screen notice, but it didn't do anything.


----------



## carverman

*THREE MORE RECENT SCAMs.* 

I got both. One by email from "CRA" (credit refund of $538..just click on provided linkd and send us details of
your bank acct; etc.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/scrty/frdprvntn/menu-eng.htm

and the other two by text messages:
"Your BMO bank account has been locked. Send us your information using this email>>>>>>>"
"Your Scotia bank account has been locked. Send us your information to unlock your account"


> *Smishing*
> Scam artists have also found a way to send fraudulent messages to mobile phones. Smishing is similar to phishing, except that it is received via text message or SMS (Short Message Service).
> Keep in mind all the points mentioned above when speaking about phishing. The intention behind text message phishing is the same as regular email phishing and the content and tone of the message is very similar.


http://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/0,,5806,00.html


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ^ I'm still waiting for my email alert/notification??? Imagine for those who got their password re-set by pcplus now but don't get an email telling you what's the re-set password ... how the heck are they able to access their account???


I got that too.Their server was hacked. So they had to reset all the pw to "null" to protect your PC points acct.
Just log into the email (did you not get one?) and reset the pw on the link provided.
it is a legit email in this case and select a strong new pw and verify again with the same pw.
The old PW will NOT work.

Email sent to me:


> In recent weeks, we have observed some unusual activity on select PC Plus accounts. Our investigation indicates that the *PC Plus system has been the target of fraud, resulting in some members having their points stolen.* We believe the principle cause is passwords exposed through third party websites or weak passwords.





> We take the security of your account and personal information very seriously. In order to better protect this information, we have reset your password. We need you to create a new, unique one, even if you did so recently, following these steps:
> -	Click here *by S*un*da*y*, Fe*b*ru*ar*y 2*6*, 2*0*1*7 and follow the instructions to create a new password; OR





> -	At any time, go to P*C*Pl*us*.*c*a and click the "sign in" option. Then follow the "forgot my password" link and directions to create a new password
> 
> -	NOTE: You cannot create a new password on the PC Plus app, and must follow the steps above on our website
> Please contact us immediately if you notice missing points or other unauthorized activity.


----------



## OptsyEagle

I have been warning friends and family members about this type of security breach for years so I might as well warn others here as well.

Do not ever use the same id and passwords for your high security sites (banks, brokers, CRA) as you will for the willy nilly sites. This one would fall under the willy nilly as would facebook, blogs, you name em. 

All a crook has to do is either hacks those sites or just create one themselves that you might register for and they have your access codes. It appears that was what happened with the PC points scam.


----------



## pwm

Agreed. I would also add: everyone NEEDS a password manager. I use Keepass2 on all my PCs. It's free, easy to use and I use it to generate and store strong passwords for all Web sites.


----------



## AltaRed

pwm said:


> Agreed. I would also add: everyone NEEDS a password manager. I use Keepass2 on all my PCs. It's free, easy to use and I use it to generate and store strong passwords for all Web sites.


With LastPass, not all websites will let LastPass auto-generate passwords (or maybe it is the other way around). In any event, LastPass couldn't auto-generate an acceptable new password this morning.


----------



## pwm

Just checked the total number of my passwords in Keepass and I have *118*, which includes routers, WAPs, & Linux and Windows logons. It's beyond the point where anyone can handle this without some kind of password manager software. They need to come up with a better technology solution.


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> I got that too.Their server was hacked. So they had to reset all the pw to "null" to protect your PC points acct.
> Just log into the email *(did you not get one?) *and reset the pw on the link provided.
> it is a legit email in this case and select a strong new pw and verify again with the same pw.
> The old PW will NOT work.
> 
> Email sent to me:


 ... no, I didn't get the email and I don't think I'm the only one - see post#118 from pwm. He even tried the "forgot password" to get around this but ??? Good thing I only recent joined pcpoints and not in the million points club but I know many folks do and if they can't reset their password or access their account then what? And this is the first time I have heard an organization that just go and automatically resets all accounts passwords and notify customers after the fact.


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ... no, I didn't get the email and I don't think I'm the only one - see post#118 from pwm. He even tried the "forgot password" to get around this but ??? Good thing I only recent joined pcpoints and not in the million points club but I know many folks do and if they can't reset their password or access their account then what? *And this is the first time I have heard an organization that just go and automatically resets all accounts passwords and notify customers after the fact.*


I don't know who is administering the server where the PCpoints database is stored. Obviously it was a serious enough breach that the PCF/Loblaws security shut down their PCPoints server right away as soon as they got a complaint from their customers that some of the PC points were STOLEN, not redeemed in their Loblaws stores transactions.

PCF will also do that WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING to each individual credit card that they think has been COMPROMISED in some way, (online or reported stolen). Usually they do notify you within a day or two by phone call but not always.

If you haven't received the email to reset your PW,give PCPoints customer service a
call. I'm sure they are busy right now. 

Side Note:#1
I had my PCF MC shutdown on me 3 times in the 3 years I was with PCF MC. It was annoying to go into a store, buy something and find that your card has been DECLINED..due to being "comprimised" while you still have the card in your possession..but that is the way PCF/CIBC are diligent with their security,

I switched over to Capital One, a couple years ago and so far (touch wood..my head I guess:highly_amused no problems with them. But sometimes when I go to my
account online, they will verify I am the LEGIT holder of their card, and will ask for a 6 digit temporary PIN before I can get into my account, and that they send to my email first.

Side Note #2:
My PSW *also found out today via her smart phone that her PC account was missing 7,xxx pcpoints from last weeks shopping at their SuperStore *. Normally any points she adds to her account by scanning the grocery item with her smartphone gets added to her point total right away, so there had to be serious breach.

*She hopefully kept her receipts so that she can give them the transaction number on the receipt for PCpoints to restore what was lost. *

Welcome to the real digital world...cyber crime is ON THE RISE.


----------



## Beaver101

*Tragedy,* then a crackdown: Regulators fight options scam 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/regulator-warns-of-increase-in-binary-options-scams/article34179720/


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> *Tragedy,* then a crackdown: Regulators fight options scam
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/regulator-warns-of-increase-in-binary-options-scams/article34179720/





> *Many of the binary options frauds are originating from Israel, where regulators and politicians have promised new laws banning binary-options trading. The Jersusalem-based Times of Israel website has recently done lengthy investigative reports on the frauds, reporting hundreds of websites are based in Israel, including 23Traders.com that targeted Mr. Turbide.*


The BAIT AND SWITCH TECHNIQUE and your naeivty and greed gets you every time!


> Initially, Mr. Roy was given *$100 of free money in his online account, and was told his first two trades were winners.* The company then asked for his credit card number, and *offered him a bonus depending how much he was willing to invest.*


Frankly, I'm not surprised with fraud and scams on rise these days. You take some fraudsters advice *who you never met or even can prove his identity *and where he is from..
well then sucker... you should be familiar then with the old Nigerian scam
and some of it's refinements on the dating sites.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER AND KEEP In the back of your head.."I*F IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE* and you are promised huge investment rewards.*.IT USUALLY IS*!

The recent "cannabis stocks" thread on this forum is another example...a "pitchman" opens up a thread to engage possible interest in their scheme...
...you bet your life savings in the hope of getting rich..and you could lose your shirt because there isn't any regulations in Canada to preven investment fraud especially in foreign countries like ISRAEL




> *The best way to avoid becoming victimized by fraud is to learn how investment scammers operate. Here’s what to look out for, from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada:*





> You’re promised high returns with no risk. A security with a high potential return is seldom free of risk.
> You’re contacted by someone you don’t know. Legitimate advisers offering legitimate investments don’t approach strangers for money.
> *You’re asked to act fast, because this is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.*
> You’re asked to keep the matter secret.
> You’re asked to sign forms or proxies in advance.
> You’re being subjected to pressure sales tactics and are made to feel guilty if you hesitate to invest.
> You’re told your securities could be resold or exchanged above their market value provided you pay fees in advance.
> Financial transactions are carried out without your consent.
> You’re told that a regulatory agency has “approved” an investment. Regulatory organizations never give an opinion on the quality of an investment.


----------



## carverman

Scam "R" Us.....continues...yawn!

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

The thread to avoid....
*Everyone PLEASE PLEASE check out the Cannabis stocks!!!!!*


----------



## Beaver101

^ *Scam "R" Us.....continues* ... :boxing:

And more scamming news: 

*How Indian call centre scam targeted Canadians’ fear of taxman*

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/03/04/how-indian-call-centre-scam-targeted-canadians-fear-of-taxman.html

Don't be a victim!


----------



## carverman

Beaver101 said:


> ^ *Scam "R" Us.....continues* ... :boxing:
> 
> And more scamming news:
> 
> *How Indian call centre scam targeted Canadians’ fear of taxman*
> 
> https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/03/04/how-indian-call-centre-scam-targeted-canadians-fear-of-taxman.html
> 
> Don't be a victim!



Revenue Canada (CRA) is still the official Revenue ministry of gov't and they can be trusted...

*HOWEVER..* with the advent of social media, and the internet, 
any " UNSOLICITED"calls you receive these days claiming to be a gov't dept HAS to be verified.

Banks too, because scammers are using false identities in emails to try and convince
the recepients that they are legitimate.

Simple thing to do today in today's computerized world is to open a OFFICIAL CRA ACCOUNT where ALL of your personal and financial information is kept with 2-3 levels of security. (unique password, special questions with answers only you know and a special indentification symbol.


> If you receive a call saying you owe money to the CRA,
> you can call us or check *My Account *to be sure.





> It took only four hours, and six trips to *two different drugstores to buy iTunes cards, for Toronto resident "Lucy" to plunge $25,000 into the red *— a debt she is struggling to pay off. (W5)


Now you really got to be naive to think that CRA wants what you "owe" paid in itunes cards. yep..there are suckers born every minute they say..and for scammers 1 hit in
10,000 for them is still worthwhile practicing their fraud.

If you receive a call from someone pretending they are CRA(or an email), go to your CRA account and send CRA a message to request what it is about?

Everyone should read this!
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/scrty/frdprvntn/menu-eng.html


----------



## Eclectic12

carverman said:


> Revenue Canada (CRA) is still the official Revenue ministry of gov't and they can be trusted...
> 
> *HOWEVER..* with the advent of social media, and the internet,
> any " UNSOLICITED"calls you receive these days claiming to be a gov't dept HAS to be verified.
> 
> Banks ...


Basically if it involves money - I take notes then call a number I know or have on a bill from a different number than the call arrived on.


Cheers


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Revenue Canada (CRA) is still the official Revenue ministry of gov't and they can be trusted...
> 
> *HOWEVER..* with the advent of social media, and the internet,
> any " UNSOLICITED"calls you receive these days claiming to be a gov't dept HAS to be verified.
> 
> Banks too, because scammers are using false identities in emails to try and convince
> the recepients that they are legitimate.
> 
> ... *Now you really got to be naive to think that CRA wants what you "owe" paid in itunes cards.* yep..there are suckers born every minute they say..and for scammers 1 hit in
> 10,000 for them is still worthwhile practicing their fraud.


 .... 



> The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in North Bay receives hundreds of complaints every week about calls like the one that targeted Lucy. According to Jeff Thompson, operational supervisor at the centre, who has heard many of them,* the person making the call was clearly extorting the victims* ...
> 
> The so-called tax scam preyed on victims all over North America. *The RCMP estimates that 50,000 Canadians have been victimized *by callers claiming to be from the CRA and that millions of dollars have been sent out of the country through the scheme. *And that’s only the people willing to admit they were extorted; *police believe many others may be too ashamed to report it. The iTunes cards are only one way money was moved. Most of it, according to police, had a common destination: India.
> 
> Lucy, in Toronto, no longer has the savings to allow her to travel anywhere. And while calls from victims to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre have fallen in recent months, *new schemes are emerging. One of the more recent calls acknowledges to victims that fraudulent calls have been made, and then reassures them this isn’t one of them*.
> 
> With the CRA scam proving millions can be made deceiving and terrifying Canadians, the RCMP and Indian police agree those* urgent voice-mail messages are likely to get more sophisticated and even more numerous over time*.


 ... maybe this scam isn't sophisticated enough. Just imagine if these fraudsters get a hold of all the data / services that have been outsourced out of Canada by companies looking to save a dime.


----------



## yyz

What the...?

I've been paying my taxes in iTunes cards for years. And now I find this out


----------



## Beaver101

yyz said:


> What the...?
> 
> I've been paying my taxes in iTunes cards for years. And now I find this out


 ... well you're in deep-doo now. :wink:


----------



## Beaver101

Where is the Spam and Scam 'R Us man for this:

http://canadianmoneyforum.com/showthread.php/110585-JJPTR-Poor-to-Rich-Investment-Plan


----------



## yyz

why what's wrong with it?

"JJPTR was created to provide you with the opportunity to multiply your income in a safe and modern way." 
I prefer the old fashioned way but hey I'll give modern a try.

"1 How much profit (%) can I earn every month as an investor?
You can earn a fixed 20% of your investment every month as Investor Incentive."

Secretly was hoping for 24% but I guess it'll do.

"Our all trades are run by several of our specially selected proprietary Expert Advisors (EA) under very close monitoring by our team of experts and experienced traders. "

proprietary Expert Advisors are a nice touch

"As like all other investment programs in the market today, JJPTR does not guarantee its investment ventures."

Wait no guarantee who cares I'm still in


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion

Beaver101 said:


> Where is the Spam and Scam 'R Us man for this:


Click the small triangle in the lower left of the posting and report it as marketing/advertising/spam.
That's what I did.


----------



## carverman

Sleazy scam perpretrated by Niagara Falls businesses and hotels.

Extra tourist trap tax charged on restaurant and hotel bills that no one seems to know what it's really for.

Ontario Tourism minister claims her office has nothing to do with this extra tax..and for Marketplace to go check with the mayor of Niagara Falls.
When interviewed by CBC Marketplace, he claimed he had nothing to do with this extra tax and doesn't know what it's for.
SCAM or Gouging? 

*Some business charge anywhere from 3% to 5% to 7% to as much as 10% on top of the total bill.
Some business claim it's "voluntary", others claim it" "mandatory". *

TIF or DMF OR NFDT?
It appears that Niagara Falls is ripping off the tourists, but then what does one expect from visiting a tourist trap?

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2015-2016/dmf-hospitaltv


----------



## Beaver101

OnlyMyOpinion said:


> Click the small triangle in the lower left of the posting and report it as marketing/advertising/spam.
> That's what I did.


 ... okay, thanks. Now I see the little triangle in lower left on logging in. Previously, it was displayed without a log-in.


----------



## Beaver101

carverman said:


> Sleazy scam perpretrated by Niagara Falls businesses and hotels.
> 
> Extra tourist trap tax charged on restaurant and hotel bills that no one seems to know what it's really for.
> 
> Ontario Tourism minister claims her office has nothing to do with this extra tax..and for Marketplace to go check with the mayor of Niagara Falls.
> When interviewed by CBC Marketplace, he claimed he had nothing to do with this extra tax and doesn't know what it's for.
> SCAM or Gouging?
> 
> *Some business charge anywhere from 3% to 5% to 7% to as much as 10% on top of the total bill.
> Some business claim it's "voluntary", others claim it" "mandatory". *
> 
> TIF or DMF OR NFDT?
> It appears that Niagara Falls is ripping off the tourists, but then what does one expect from visiting a tourist trap?
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episo...globally, whether in the US, Caribbeans, etc.


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion

Beaver101 said:


> ... can't view the video in your link as got this message: _We're sorry, this content is not available in your location. If you believe you have received this message in error please contact us_. Anyhow, don't think the Niagara Falls area hotels will be the only "tourist heavy district" to pad their bills, all disguised as a VAT (value-added tax). I think all hi tourist areas does this globally, whether in the US, Caribbeans, etc.


The link works for me. You on the moon today? :frown:


----------



## Beaver101

^ No, I'm on an asteroid today ... the link doesn't work for me as per the message I posted.


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion

Beaver101 said:


> ^ No, I'm on an asteroid today ... the link doesn't work for me as per the message I posted.


Well there's the problem .
For asteroids try the youtube link to the same program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3JbpXi3jN8&feature=youtu.be


----------



## Beaver101

^ Can't access youtube at work either - no youtube, no FB, no fooling around but surprisingly CMF is not off limits. :soap:


----------



## Eclectic12

Email scam claiming to be from CRA.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cra-tax-refund-scam-email-phone-1.4089032

Interestingly, the scammer was willing to berate an RCMP officer for "interfering". :wink:


Cheers


----------



## Beaver101

^ Perfect timing from your link -


> *Taxpayers beware: CRA email rebate scam on the rise this tax season*


As for the


> Interestingly, the scammer was willing to berate an RCMP officer for "interfering".


 ... the scammer doesn't know what's going to him/her. The Canadian Mounties should work twice as hard to bash out these scammers given who they're impersonating.


----------



## Eclectic12

Beaver101 said:


> ... As for the ... the scammer doesn't know what's going to him/her.


If you read the article, the lady that was about to lose money a second time was receiving harassing calls for not following through on the second swindle. 



> ... Mecher told the woman to *ask the fraudster to contact him*.
> He was floored when the man actually did, presenting himself as David Carter from the CRA.


It is not clear if the scammer knew that the contact was the police but it is clear that the scammer had to make the call.
Otherwise, it would be a random call running the scam instead of about the interference.




Beaver101 said:


> ... The Canadian Mounties should work twice as hard to bash out these scammers given who they're impersonating.


Without help in the source country, not much can be done. Even where there is help and charges in progress, some countries have about ten to fifteen years before the court will get to it.


Cheers


----------



## Beaver101

Eclectic12 said:


> ...
> 
> 
> Without help in the source country, not much can be done. Even where there is help and charges in progress, some countries have about ten to fifteen years before the court will get to it.
> 
> 
> Cheers


 ... in which case the Mounties need to work 10x as hard then or whatever it takes ... or maybe this is just dreaming.


----------



## Eclectic12

^^^^

What do you suggest?

The RCMP scan all your calls and cut them off if they think it is a scammer?

Unless it's someone within their legal reach (or countries band together to root them out), education seems the most effective.


Cheers


----------



## Beaver101

Eclectic12 said:


> ^^^^
> 
> What do you suggest?
> 
> The RCMP scan all your calls and cut them off if they think it is a scammer?
> 
> Unless it's someone within their legal reach (or countries band together to root them out), *education seems the most effective.
> *
> 
> Cheers


 ... I don't know what to suggest as I ain't no anti- fraud or anti-crime expert and as for 'education' (for the public) seems to be most effective - is it? Are fraud cases declining?


----------



## none

Eclectic12 said:


> ^^^^
> 
> What do you suggest?
> 
> The RCMP scan all your calls and cut them off if they think it is a scammer?
> 
> Unless it's someone within their legal reach (or countries band together to root them out), education seems the most effective.
> 
> 
> Cheers


This is a reoccuring problem I find dealing with the public - generally they don't recognize that there are contraints on what authorities can reasonably do. Super lame beliefs to "JUST FIX IT" is TRumpism at its finest. A lot of issues are not black and white and if there were simple solutions I'm sure people would have thought of it already.


----------



## Eclectic12

Beaver101 said:


> ... I don't know what to suggest as I ain't no anti- fraud or anti-crime expert and as for 'education' (for the public) seems to be most effective - is it? Are fraud cases declining?


Whether it is a phone call, email or walk up, the public is the only one who can stop it. Anything the RCMP can do is after the fact, *if* whomever is within their reach.





none said:


> This is a reoccuring problem I find dealing with the public - generally they don't recognize that there are contraints on what authorities can reasonably do. Super lame beliefs to "JUST FIX IT" is TRumpism at its finest. A lot of issues are not black and white and if there were simple solutions I'm sure people would have thought of it already.


It could work ... if the RCMP was scanning all my email, tapping all my phone calls and answering my door, which would cause it's own set of problems.

Other than that, the first line of stopping it is the public. Education won't help everyone but IMO beats general complaints as it at least has a chance of someone listening/avoiding the scam.


Cheers


----------



## zylon

*WannaCry*

deleted


----------



## pwm

Got this phishing scam email today. Purportedly from Paypal. Quite authentic looking, I must say, but obviously a phishing scam. The email address from which it came gives it away, if nothing else. (PayPal <[email protected]>).Be careful out there folks!


----------



## DigginDoc

Thanks Pwm 
Got a similar one yesterday from supposedly Itunes 
They never stop.
Cheers 
D


----------



## pwm

Looks like there is a major fraud event happening today. My wife's sister got a call yesterday from BMO to say that they detected a fraudulent e-transfer of ~ $1400 from her chequing account from a location outside Canada. I talked to a person at her local BMO branch regarding her online password, since I do her online banking for her. The person at BMO said they are experiencing a large number of similar incidents at her branch and her contacts at other banks say the same is happening to them all across Canada. She is located in South Western Ontario. It appears to be related to debit cards.


----------



## james4beach

Oh wow. pwm - so does that mean something like, the bad guys someone got access through the debit card? Perhaps a card skimmer that intercepted the debit card details.

Everyone should log into their online banking and check that all looks normal.


----------



## pwm

Not sure if it's necessarily related to debit cards, that was just speculation on the part of the BMO person. Another funny thing. There was a transfer of $100 from her MasterCard to her chequing account at the same time. That implies they must have been able to access her online account somehow which is even more worrisome. Why would they do such a thing? Perhaps just testing to see if they could? BMO charged $5.00 for that transaction. Anyway the good news is that BMO will make her whole again including reversing the $5.00 charge, but the whole experience has left me a little more concerned about the security of the banking system. A guess when it hits close to home, the impact becomes more personal.


----------



## BoringInvestor

pwm said:


> Got this phishing scam email today. Purportedly from Paypal. Quite authentic looking, I must say, but obviously a phishing scam. The email address from which it came gives it away, if nothing else. (PayPal <[email protected]>).Be careful out there folks!
> 
> View attachment 17290


Looks convincing on the surface, but the repetitive nature of the text, plus the spelling and grammatical errors would be surprising if it were truly from PayPal.

https://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2015/05/19/why-are-email-scams-so-obviously-bad-game-theory-tuesdays/


----------



## john.cray

james4beach said:


> Oh wow. pwm - so does that mean something like, the bad guys someone got access through the debit card? Perhaps a card skimmer that intercepted the debit card details.
> 
> Everyone should log into their online banking and check that all looks normal.


I would recommend enabling email/sms notification on all your banking accounts if your institution supports that. Scotiabank supports this and I use the feature. I receive an emails every time there's a movement in my accounts/credit cards and it's almost instantaneous. Easy way to catch inconsistencies right away. It would also be very useful if Canadian banks adopt a dual factor authentication (and I am not talking about the security question feature) upon every login. SMS/APP based second factor would help a lot.

On the other hand, I thought Interac eTransfer only works for Canadian Accounts, i.e. the money must be deposited back into a Canadian bank account. Not sure what the following means: "detected a fraudulent e-transfer of ~ $1400 from her chequing account from a location outside Canada."


----------



## Beaver101

*Woman desperate for job loses thousands to online job scam*

https://ca.yahoo.com/finance/news/woman-desperate-job-loses-thousands-120000409.html

Don't be a victim!


----------



## Beaver101

*‘I should be a smart guy. I wasn’t.’ How the CRA tax scam keeps duping us*

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2018/02/09/i-should-be-a-smart-guy-i-wasnt-how-the-cra-tax-scam-keeps-duping-us.html


----------



## Beaver101

*Five Torontonians lose $5.1 million in new phone-based scam
The fraudsters appear to be using technology that keeps calls connected even when the victims hang up to pretend to be banks, or 911 operators.*

https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/...-lose-51-million-in-new-phone-based-scam.html

Man, can't keep up.


----------



## like_to_retire

Beaver101 said:


> Man, can't keep up.


Yeah, phone scammers are the scum of the earth.

Myself, I have my home phone set to ring a special ring if I know the person who's calling. Pretty much every phone system has that feature - nothing special, it just matches the number to the contacts list in the phone.

If I don't get the special ring, I don't answer the phone. I don't even have to go to the phone to see who's calling if the ring isn't the special one.

Like everyone else I have call answer, so if that un-special person really wants to contact me, they can leave a message. If it's a scammer and they leave some silly alarmist message, I can then check out the appropriate web site such as CRA, etc and determine if it's a scam.

If everyone followed those simple rules, there would be 0% successful scamming and it would stop.

ltr


----------



## kcowan

Zelle, a competitor to Venmo et al, is suffering from unprecedented scams, and the sponsoring banks are not standing behind the service.

NYT Article

I guess we should be glad for Interac etransfer.


----------



## rocketscience

*Tough*

Oh scammers; running haywire. Some of them are just plain extortion. They lock down your PC until you pay them for the key. Something called ransomware. One reason I don't use Windows any more.

Ubuntu is better in terms of security afaik.


----------



## like_to_retire

rocketscience said:


> Oh scammers; running haywire. Some of them are just plain extortion. They lock down your PC until you pay them for the key. Something called ransomware. One reason I don't use Windows any more.
> 
> Ubuntu is better in terms of security afaik.


I never understood the ransomeware scam. Why wouldn't you just format your drive and reload Windows, and then load your documents and data from your backup USB stick?

ltr


----------



## Eclectic12

Assuming one is technically up to formatting the drive and reloading windows ... sure.

The typically bigger problem is that most people aren't taking backups or if they are, they backed them up to the same drive that was encrypted by the ransomware.


Cheers


----------



## andrewf

Eclectic12 said:


> Assuming one is technically up to formatting the drive and reloading windows ... sure.
> 
> The typically bigger problem is that most people aren't taking backups or if they are, they backed them up to the same drive that was encrypted by the ransomware.
> 
> 
> Cheers


Should probably reformat even if you pay the ransom, as they may leave behind spyware.


----------



## like_to_retire

andrewf said:


> Should probably reformat even if you pay the ransom, as they may leave behind spyware.


Totally agree. So if someone has to reformat and reload, why would anyone ever pay these scammers? No doubt there are a few people who don't ever back up their data, but it can't be that many people to make this a profitable scam.

Companies generally are very good at backing up data, so why would they pay?

ltr


----------



## Eclectic12

YMMV ... back in the day as a consultant, at times when checking the backups - it would be found that the backups weren't being run. Or in other cases, there was no testing being run so that the fact that of thirty days of backups taken, only two were usable. Or in other cases, no one was checking the backup logs so that errors over thirty days meant no backups were available.

My current company does not backup laptops or desktops. Despite lots of educational training - guess what complaint happens when a hard drive fails? :rolleyes2:


Cheers


----------



## 319905

^ I assume that company applications/data run/is kept on a secured company server/servers and that it's user personal stuff that's lost when a user desktop/laptop fails? If users are storing company data on their desktops/laptops that's seriously amateurish for sure ... and on and on and on ... yikes.


----------



## Eclectic12

Main transactional apps ... yes. 
Output from the apps, strategic plans etc. have been one the user desktop/laptop. It's part of the fun of having the business making IT decisions. :biggrin:


Cheers


----------



## Synergy

like_to_retire said:


> Companies generally are very good at backing up data, so why would they pay?ltr


Companies are generally not great a backing up data. Speak to some of the larger IT firms and they will tell you it often comes down to $$$. Cloud backup solutions can be compromised and not all companies will have a back up for a back up....


----------



## Beaver101

Adding link to additional info:

https://www.canadianmoneyforum.com/showthread.php/138720-Investors-Rights-Advocate


----------



## Eclectic12

My co-worker had a new one (or at least it is to me )

Someone used his picture, name to create a new FB account. The date of birth and email address were wrong. 
Then invitations to be friends were sent at least to those on his friend list.

A surprising number of people who already were friends (including some who worked in IT) quickly accepted the friend request. Requests for money then arrived, pretending to be him.

After about three of his more suspicious friends messages or called him, it was report to FB and the bogus account was disabled.


Cheers


----------



## kcowan

Same things happened to me. I quickly replaced my picture with one of my cat and advised everyone to ignore friend requests. FB eventually removed him. I also refuse friends requests as a general rule.


----------



## ian

We are home after an eight week absence. It has only been three days. Who gave out our cell numbers. Very odd that we are both getting these very same calls within the same time frame.

So far we have each had two calls from a voice claiming to be Service Canada security. Plus DW had one on her voice mail from a few days prior to our return. Big trouble if we do not hit 1, wait for a so called Justice Dept. operator to come on the line so that we can provide our SIN numbers (and those that do fall for this are probably asked for much more). Penalty for not doing so... a home visit from the gendarmes plus an AI vacation courtesy of the Federal prison service. We are not quite ready for another vacation. Besides, I do not know if they have wifi in these facilities.

In between.....at least three calls each. We are lucky and generous. We have each won at least three all expense paid vacations, hotel stays, and or cruises. We just got home from weeks of travel so we decided to pass and let someone else have the joy. But they still call. We will not be changing our minds.


----------



## Userkare

ian said:


> So far we have each had two calls from a voice claiming to be Service Canada security.


I got one from "CRA" :tongue-new: that said my name would be passed to the Grand Jury. Grand Fail i'd say - we don't have Grand Jury in Canada! That's just how stupid you have to be to fall for that.


----------



## jargey3000

... I just tell them _"No, He die!"_ in theirown broken english, so they unnerstan...


----------



## Beaver101

^ No, you first have to sound like your wife before you tell them that.


----------



## Beaver101

The recent postings got me thinking as I'm not sure these are real scams. 

I donate to various big name (health-related particularly) charities throughout the year(s), increasingly over the years. In return they send me newsletter, Easter seals, knickknacks, etc. reminding me of more donations (obviously). But recently, other charities that I have not donated to (a big well known hospital) or one unknownst to me (refugees center) have been sending me requests for donations. It would seem my name/mailing info have been sold, potentially opening a floodgate now. Obviously, I'm annoyed if this is the case but then those new requests got my name spelled wrong which red-flagged me to thinking these might be scammers. And I'm also now wondering who is a legit or who isn't a legit charity?


----------



## Userkare

Beaver101 said:


> The recent postings got me thinking as I'm not sure these are real scams.
> 
> I donate to various big name (health-related particularly) charities throughout the year(s), increasingly over the years. In return they send me newsletter, Easter seals, knickknacks, etc. reminding me of more donations (obviously). But recently, other charities that I have not donated to (a big well known hospital) or one unknownst to me (refugees center) have been sending me requests for donations. It would seem my name/mailing info have been sold, potentially opening a floodgate now. Obviously, I'm annoyed if this is the case but then those new requests got my name spelled wrong which red-flagged me to thinking these might be scammers. And I'm also now wondering who is a legit or who isn't a legit charity?


I really hate getting all that junk mail with "gifts" from charities that I have never given my name. I think it's the Canadian Red Cross that sold their donor list. The stickers have my name and address all over them, so normally I would shred that kind of thing before tossing it out, but the sticky labels might gum up the shredder.


----------



## kcowan

I had a recurring call from area code 623 so I finally answered it, and he had detected a virus in my computer. I say "No ony computer is iPad under Applecare" and hung up. So far no more calls.

I also never respond to money requests on the phone. I say "Already sent in the card!"


----------



## Dilbert

I had an interesting call this morning. The caller wanted to set up an appointment for someone to visit my house to inspect my water heater and do a safety check. 
That was a first for me.


----------



## jargey3000

Beaver101 said:


> ^ No, you first have to sound like your wife before you tell them that.


...oh...i do!......_'He die! He die!"_


----------



## james4beach

Over the last couple days, I've received a huge number of calls (about a dozen) mostly showing a 613 Ottawa area code. They are automated scam recordings threatening legal action for some crime, social insurance number etc... beware.


----------



## Eclectic12

Interesting it's been 702 numbers for me where Service Canada has started a legal action against me. 
CRA seems to have stopped with the legal actions for now. :rolleyes2:


Cheers


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## james4beach

It's worth remembering that Caller ID is incredibly easy to fake, so a scammer can put arbitrary information into a phone call. They could even make it look like it's coming from the real/correct phone number for a government office or bank.

Never trust any call that _comes to you_. Even if it's the bank or something potentially serious, say you will call them back. Then you contact the real number you know of.


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## Eclectic12

I also make sure to call from a different phone than the one that received the message. For example, if the call was received on my cell phone, I'll call back on a work or home phone.


Cheers


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## james4beach

Eclectic12 said:


> I also make sure to call from a different phone than the one that received the message. For example, if the call was received on my cell phone, I'll call back on a work or home phone.


That's a good idea. I had not thought of that.

There's a story in the news today about these new scams using with fake caller IDs appearing to come from legitimate government departments. Definitely a step up in the realism of the scams:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fraud-spoofing-canada-government-1.5348659

Remember everyone, caller ID is easily faked! From the story:



> To deceive potential victims who examine the numbers on incoming calls, the scammers spoof their calls so that they display the phone numbers of the relevant federal government departments. In many cases, a scammer tells a victim they will be getting a call from a police officer — then spoofs the call that comes in a few minutes later so that it appears to be coming from local police.


Whenever in doubt about any of this, it is always better to just not talk to them. Even if they say it is the police and you think it might be real, just say "no thanks" and hang up the phone. In fact even if it really is the police, that is also a fine course of action -- you do not have any legal obligation to ever talk to anyone, including the real police, over the phone.

*Either:
a) just hang up the phone, no matter what they're saying, or
b) say "no thanks and I think this might be a scam, I will contact the bank/police/CRA myself", hang up
*

Course b) is perfectly safe, even for legitimate calls that are important.

Taking this advice a little bit further... you also have NO obligation to talk to someone showing up at your door, no matter what they say. A man could show up at your door, claim to be a police officer, and _you do not have to talk to him_. Scammers have been known to appear at the door and claim to be police or other officials. You do not have to talk to anyone -- police or otherwise. The answer is the same as these phone calls: say "no thanks, I am not talking to you" and shut the door right away.

Example #1: a car on your street seems to have blown up or been set on fire, and there's a parade of police and fire trucks outside. A uniformed officer knocks on your door a few minutes later and wants to talk to you, ask questions. This is probably a real police officer.

Example #2: you're watching TV on a normal, quiet evening when you're interrupted out of the blue by a man at the door. He is wearing plain clothes but claims to be a police or government investigator. He flashes a badge. There is no reason to think he's real -- say "No" and immediately close the door.

Example #3: you're watching TV on a normal, quiet evening when you're interrupted by a phone call. It shows the caller ID from the local police station and a man says that you're in a lot of trouble and must talk to them. Say "No" and immediately hang up. Resume watching TV.


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## Longtimeago

I think we have to realize that some of these scams have become increasingly sophisticated and that it is no longer just 'stupid' people who fall for them. Even the most wise and wary among us can be fooled.

My approach is simple, I only talk to people who I know or am expecting a call from. So a call from my Dentist's receptionist to re-confirm an appointment is fine but a call from my bank will get a hang up from me. A call from a contractor I am waiting for a call back from is fine but a call from the CRA whom I am NOT expecting a call from, will get a hang up from me.

The same basic principle applies to e-mails. I don't open e-mails I don't expect to receive from someone.


----------



## Userkare

Even if you're not sure at first if the call is legit, at some point it should become obvious that it isn't.....

If it's a recorded message, it's bogus, period.
"CRA" calls and asks for your SIN number. Duh, you called me, you tell me my number.
They ask for payment in Bitcoin or iTunes cards. Ask instead that they mail a paper statement that you can take to the bank to pay.
They threaten to send your name to the "Grand Jury". This is Canada a**hole!
They threaten any legal action without prior written notice, or right to appeal. 

On the CBC TV news report this morning, it was a millenial woman who was taken for several thousands. So now, when you hear about a new scam, still alert your elderly contacts ( because all old people are stupid ), and your "30 somethings" as well.


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## kcowan

Code:


The toll taken by the CRA spoofing scam
Since 2014 scammers posing as Canada Revenue Agency or immigration officers have defrauded Canadians of millions of dollars.

YEAR #REPORTS	#VICTIMS	$LOSS
2014	1,559	136	          302,891
2015	15,647	765	        2,404,351
2016	23,920	1,195		3,585,051
2017	12,286	812	        3,056,955
2018	22,421	1,490		6,410,213
2019	2,639	297	        1,010,407

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fraud-spoofing-canada-government-1.5348659


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## dotnet_nerd

Edna will handle it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-j12NvUwhw&t=212s

or Jeb
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/326024734
https://www.twitch.tv/kitboga/video/326213278?collection=mxXAPadZKRWXeg&filter=archives&sort=time


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## Foxx88

So far today I've had three calls on my cell phone from numbers in the the 905 area code, and the next three numbers are 392-#### (the last four numbers keep changing every time they call). I don't answer, then I block the number, but then they call from a different #. I'll NEVER answer, but it's so annoying. Partial voicemails left that obviously indicate it's a scam. Is there any point in reporting this to the government fraud website? Not like anyone can track them down since the numbers are no doubt fake. Wonder when they'll stop calling. I'm not gullible, but obviously there are gullible people out there or they'd find another game.

_Edited for typo_


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## Eclectic12

james4beach said:


> Eclectic12 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I also make sure to call from a different phone than the one that received the message. For example, if the call was received on my cell phone, I'll call back on a work or home phone.
> 
> 
> 
> ... That's a good idea. I had not thought of that ...
Click to expand...

Stories like this one are why I prefer using a different phone. Or at least waiting a long time to sure be sure the dial tone isn't being spoofed and the call has disconnected.


> Det. Sgt. Ian Nichol says starting in November, victims began coming forward about receiving calls from a retailer telling them they were the target of credit card fraud.
> 
> Police say the caller would remain on the line after telling victims to hang up and call 911 or their bank, exploiting a quirk in landline phone technology that allowed the fraudster to redirect the call seconds later to another impostor claiming to be a police detective or a bank fraud investigator.


https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/fraudsters-bilk-5-1m-from-torontonians-in-phone-scam-police-1.3797184


In a 2014 Guardian article, something like two thirds of BT phone stayed connected for several minutes, despite the receiving phone hanging up. The telecom companies were described as being under pressure to shorten the disconnect time but some lines were reported as easier to do this on than others.


Cheers


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## Foxx88

New CBC story on this, posted today: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/scam-cellphone-spoof-cra-1.5360162 As the headline says, they not only want your money, they want your phone number. So best not to answer.


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## Brian K

Tired of getting Robo calls? Telus (no I don't work for them) has a new 'Call Control' feature for landlines. When a caller phones, a message is heard once to press a number to continue the call. If pressed, the call continues and the calling number is remembered so this only occurs once. A robo call won't hear that request to enter the random number and the call is blocked. Too bad it isn't available on cells (yet). Now no more of those CRA, credit card, furnace cleaning etc calls and I'm getting lonely lol. Now there is no real reason to have the landline anymore except to fax! 
Dial *99
To turn on press 2
To turn off press 1
or log into you account and activate from there.


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## like_to_retire

Brian K said:


> Too bad it isn't available on cells (yet). .


I've had this call screen feature on my Pixel 4 cell phone since I bought it.

Pixel Call Screening.

When I look back at the transcripts of the calls it's screened (yes it converts voice to text and keeps a log of all calls including the responses that the google-assistant makes), some of the conversations are amusing since it's sometimes just two computers talking to each other.

ltr


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## pwm

Got this email today. Quite funny really:


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## Eclectic12

I can't prove it as I haven't found a confirmation but I'm confident "covid 19 Walmart ordering" can be added to the list of scams.

I received to calls yesterday, in a heavy dialect that had an odd pacing. The message was that covid 19 has everyone staying at home where Walmart was offering grocery ordering on the phone will delivery in 24 hours or less. The listener was directed to press one on the phone to place their order.

I understand Walmart is looking for delivery people so the claim of delivery in 24 hours or less plus the other factors make me think it's a scam.


Cheers


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## kcowan

They want to confirm that your contact info is active. Then they put you onto the active scam list to get money in subsequent calls.


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## P_I

kcowan said:


> They want to confirm that your contact info is active. Then they put you onto the active scam list to get money in subsequent calls.


I see you've got your old username back. Stay safe.


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## newfoundlander61

I have been receiving text messages saying my PC Optimum account is inactive click on link.


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## Beaver101

Right of offset news stories....how do feel about this?


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## newfoundlander61

Latest one I got yesterday was apparently from Netflix that "we have something special for you", Malware likely


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## Beaver101

Lending company


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## indexxx

I got a text scam the other day purporting to be from HSBC, whom I do not bank with. It's apparently a big scam in other parts of the world that is now hitting north America. Said something about an unrecognized or new device being used to access my (non-existent) accounts; they of course want you to verify your info which they then use to compromise your banking.


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## zinfit

Deceptive advertising by RBC. The ad with a couple reviewing their respective returns. The guy is upset because his returns are lower and his fees are lower. The gal says something about paying for performance. I have no idea what product she is talking about. If she is talking about RBC mutual funds it is not likely that they are outperforming a comparable ETF. The ad has appeal to the ill informed investor. RBC shows no shame with this ad.


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## Beaver101

zinfit said:


> Deceptive advertising by RBC. The ad with a couple reviewing their respective returns. The guy is upset because his returns are lower and his fees are lower. The gal says something about paying for performance. I have no idea what product she is talking about. If she is talking about RBC mutual funds it is not likely that they are outperforming a comparable ETF. The ad has appeal to the ill informed investor. *RBC shows no shame with this ad.*


 ... why would they? Start with the CEO or rather his "pay/compensation". Still not enough.


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## zinfit

Beaver101 said:


> ... why would they? Start with the CEO or rather his "pay/compensation". Still not enough.


I have never understood the excessive compensation paid for senior management in large corporations. I look at a bank like CIBC which was number 1 or 2 back in the 1970s and has declined in every decade since because of bad management decisions. The list is lengthy Dome Petroleum , South American loans , lousy US acquisitions, Their involvement with Enron and the sub-prime mortgage disaster. In almost every case the CEO continued to receive generous compensation and bonus payments. Today CIBC is the number 5 bank . It has a questionable senior management culture.


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## Beaver101

zinfit said:


> I have never understood the excessive compensation paid for senior management in large corporations. I look at a bank like CIBC which was number 1 or 2 back in the 1970s and has declined in every decade since because of bad management decisions. The list is lengthy Dome Petroleum , South American loans , lousy US acquisitions, Their involvement with Enron and the sub-prime mortgage disaster. In almost every case the CEO continued to receive generous compensation and bonus payments. Today CIBC is the number 5 bank . *It has a questionable senior management culture.*


 ... yep, the rot starts at the top, at the "tip" first.


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## Beaver101

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/regina-woman-1500-pizza-delivery-scam-1.6051094

*



Regina woman says she lost $1,500 in pizza delivery scam

Click to expand...

*


> _Daniel Reech · CBC News · Posted: Jun 02, 2021 5:41 PM CT | Last Updated: June 2
> 
> A Regina woman says her bank account was drained after what seemed like an ordinary pizza delivery.
> 
> Tara Miller ordered pizza from a Regina restaurant at around 2:30 p.m. CST Saturday. About half an hour later, she received her pizza and everything else she ordered alongside it.
> 
> She said everything about the interaction was pretty straightforward. She tipped the affable delivery man $5. She said she has had many experiences with the same restaurant in the past and nothing had ever gone awry.
> 
> It wasn't until a few hours later when she checked her bank account that she noticed something horribly wrong.
> 
> "Everything was gone."
> 
> She said $1,500 had been taken from her bank account.
> 
> She went to the restaurant to bring up the issue and said the employees told her that her order wasn't for delivery, it was for pick-up.
> 
> Miller maintained that it was in fact for delivery and mentioned that she had company over at her home can attest to that fact.
> 
> Miller said she was then told that an unfamiliar man had entered the restaurant and picked up the order on her behalf, saying that he was unsure who originally made the order.
> 
> "How could you let someone take a pizza out of the store, without even calling or confirming it with me?" she said.
> 
> Miller said she had a lot of things running through her mind.
> 
> "Was it the guy that took my call, did he set this all up?"
> 
> Miller has since cancelled her bank account and continues to try to sort the issue out with the restaurant for the time being. She has also filed a police report.
> 
> She said the manager of the restaurant has personally apologized to her and handed video surveillance footage from the restaurant over to the police in hopes of identifying the man who handled her pizza.
> 
> Although she was initially furious, she said this has not dimmed her view of the restaurant, as it has always dealt with her fairly in the past.
> 
> "You read about stuff like this all the time," Miller said. "It's not just their restaurant, it's other restaurants as well too."
> 
> She said this incident will make her take greater precautions in the future to avoid being in a situation like this again. She said she worries that something bad will happen every time she uses her bank card now.
> 
> Miller also urged restaurants to perform due diligence when confirming pick-up orders._
> 
> *She also warns others to be on the lookout for potential scams, despite how savvy they may think they are.*



It's pretty amazing how you can be cleaned out of your bank account these days by just simply ordering a take-out pizza ... delivery or not.


----------



## bgc_fan

Beaver101 said:


> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/regina-woman-1500-pizza-delivery-scam-1.6051094
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's pretty amazing how you can be cleaned out of your bank account these days by just simply ordering a take-out pizza ... delivery or not.


That's a really interesting one. Sounds pretty involved... a. the scammer must have intercepted the order, and b. has a machine to charge bank or credit cards. 

A few details are missing as I'd be wondering if it was a standard payment machine that was used, or one of those dongles you can add to your cell phone, which may have been a give away. Would be curious also as to who was paid in the transaction. It should have the name of the payee, and it would be obvious that it isn't the restaurant.


----------



## Beaver101

^ It would not surprise me it's an inside job (could be an ex-employee/contractor) with the pizza place in which then will allow the bank to divert its responsibility back to the both the pizza place and customer. I think she should have used her credit card for the purchase rather than her bank debit card. 

Now "(_She said) she worries that something bad will happen every time she uses her bank card now._ "


----------



## bgc_fan

Beaver101 said:


> ^ It would not surprise me it's an inside job (could be an ex-employee/contractor) with the pizza place in which then will allow the bank to divert its responsibility back to the both the pizza place and customer. I think she should have used her credit card for the purchase rather than her bank debit card.
> 
> Now "(_She said) she worries that something bad will happen every time she uses her bank card now._ "


Depends... They mentioned it was an unfamiliar driver who picked up the pizza. If it was an ex-employee, he should have been identifiable based on the video. The other odd part is that they stated that the driver was uncertain on who made the order. It could have been an act, but he did know the address to deliver it. But, yeah, that's a reason why I use credit cards verse debit cards. And then cash over debit.


----------



## Beaver101

bgc_fan said:


> Depends... They mentioned it was an unfamiliar driver who picked up the pizza. If it was an ex-employee, he should have been identifiable based on the video. The other odd part is that they stated that the driver was uncertain on who made the order. It could have been an act, but he did know the address to deliver it. But, yeah, that's a reason why I use credit cards verse debit cards. And then cash over debit.


 ... okay let's do abit of sleuthing here.

I presume the "they" is the pizza place you and I are referring to. First "they" are unfamiliar with the driver who picked up the pizza. For one, do "they" just hand over a pizza to any person (claiming to a driver) off the street and at any time? Secondly, of all the pizzas that are ready/waiting to be picked up (walk-in) or to be 'delivered', the "driver" knew which pizza to ask for ... "I'm here to pick up the All Vegetarian XL" without so much as asking which pizza the "driver" is going to be delivered? Then they claimed the unknown-driver (or the stranger) was there for a "pick-up" rather than a delivery? Huh, which is it? And richly enough, the delivery-guy (aka the driver too, like UberEats for eg.) has a POS terminal to zap that lady's bank card. [In retrospect, I think card cards are at risk too, only liability is limited.] Is it that easy these days to develop (low tech?) POS terminals in relieving unsuspecting victims of their funds? [This plays like those gas-stations cases a few years back.]

Bottomline: It'll be interesting to see simply who the "recipient" of that lady's funds AFTER the bank or cops investigates and get to the bottom of it.


----------



## bgc_fan

Beaver101 said:


> ... okay let's do abit of sleuthing here.
> 
> I presume the "they" is the pizza place you and I are referring to. First "they" are unfamiliar with the driver who picked up the pizza. For one, do "they" just hand over a pizza to any person (claiming to a driver) off the street and at any time? Secondly, of all the pizzas that are ready/waiting to be picked up (walk-in) or to be 'delivered', the "driver" knew which pizza to ask for ... "I'm here to pick up the All Vegetarian XL" without so much as asking which pizza the "driver" is going to be delivered? Then they claimed the unknown-driver (or the stranger) was there for a "pick-up" rather than a delivery? Huh, which is it? And richly enough, the delivery-guy (aka the driver too, like UberEats for eg.) has a POS terminal to zap that lady's bank card. [In retrospect, I think card cards are at risk too, only liability is limited.] Is it that easy these days to develop (low tech?) POS terminals in relieving unsuspecting victims of their funds? [This plays like those gas-stations cases a few years back.]
> 
> Bottomline: It'll be interesting to see simply who the "recipient" of that lady's funds AFTER the bank or cops investigates and get to the bottom of it.


There are a lot of questions. The obvious one is that there is a disconnect somewhere where the customer said that she asked for delivery, and that the pizza shop said that it was for pick up. It could be an inside job where the person taking the order, changed it to a pickup and called in an accomplice to handle the delivery. Don't know if the place does Uber Eats or something like that, but I've been to a local restaurant that does Uber Eats and the driver just shows up, and says, I'm here to pick up order xyz, and it gets handed to him.

For the POS terminal, it could have simply been something like these: Best Mobile Credit Card Readers of 2021 | Business.org. A lot of small businesses that I've been to seem to use the Square equipment, like these: Square Terminal | Square Shop. All the delivery guy had to do was either key in the "wrong" amount, or something.

Seems like a lot of effort for a one time job. More than likely I'd think there would be more than one occurrence. But the finding the "recipient" would be interesting, especially if they take a look at the account and see if there are other transactions like this.


----------



## Mechanic

Wife and I have both been getting same calls lately from various #'s. Usually there's a message left saying an illegal parcel shipped through Canada Post, arrest warrant issued and press 1 to speak to a CBSA agent. Finally, they called while I had the phone in my hand so I pressed 1 out of curiosity. Foreign voice came on saying they were CBSA and I said I believe they have a parcel for me. They promptly hung up. Very confusing, as I was expecting them to ask for payment or something. Couldn't find anything online about this scam. Anyone know about it ?


----------



## kcowan

Mechanic said:


> Wife and I have both been getting same calls lately from various #'s. Usually there's a message left saying an illegal parcel shipped through Canada Post, arrest warrant issued and press 1 to speak to a CBSA agent. Finally, they called while I had the phone in my hand so I pressed 1 out of curiosity. Foreign voice came on saying they were CBSA and I said I believe they have a parcel for me. They promptly hung up. Very confusing, as I was expecting them to ask for payment or something. Couldn't find anything online about this scam. Anyone know about it ?


We get those calls and I think they expect you to negotiate a price. By saying you believe they have a package for you, you threw them off their script.


----------



## bgc_fan

Mechanic said:


> Wife and I have both been getting same calls lately from various #'s. Usually there's a message left saying an illegal parcel shipped through Canada Post, arrest warrant issued and press 1 to speak to a CBSA agent. Finally, they called while I had the phone in my hand so I pressed 1 out of curiosity. Foreign voice came on saying they were CBSA and I said I believe they have a parcel for me. They promptly hung up. Very confusing, as I was expecting them to ask for payment or something. Couldn't find anything online about this scam. Anyone know about it ?


Interesting timing given this news release today about CBSA scams: Beware of scams using false CBSA credentials - Canada.ca


----------



## Mechanic

Sad world we are living in, the way people think it is ok to defraud others. I read about people getting scammed all the time, lots of elderly and unwary people for them to take advantage of


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## Beaver101

^ And it's only going to get sadder (aka worser). I say best thing for an elderly / vulnerable person who receives such calls is to "ignore" it. No legit calls (aka scams) can't wait.


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## Beaver101

This maybe a case of "Scammers versus Scammers". But what the heck, maybe worthy of noting it here. 

Scammed


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## Beaver101

'You should know your full name:' How one Oakville grandmother was scammed out of $10K by man posing as grandson

Not sure why grandma Barclay didn't call her grandson back FIRST before taking any action (like taking the time to pawn her jewelleries???) to see 1) if he's really her grandson, and 2. he's in jail or actually in some kind of financial trouble.

Next time, with these "Grandparents Scams", simple words of advice to ALL grandparents out there:

1. Tell your "grandkids" when they do "call" (notice, it's never a visit - yah yah yah, it's the Covid time excuse) to either,
a. Take a Hike, or
b. Ask their Banks of Dad and/or Mom (or are they both dead?) instead, or
c. Let the answering machine answer the phone. Then delete these stupid message(s).


If anything positive(s) that came out of this harrowing experience (aside from the stupidity due to being senile) are:
1. Got your name and your grandson's name on the news.
2. Warnings to others (or another post for this thread).


----------



## bgc_fan

Beaver101 said:


> 'You should know your full name:' How one Oakville grandmother was scammed out of $10K by man posing as grandson
> 
> Not sure why grandma Barclay didn't call her grandson back FIRST before taking any action (like taking the time to pawn her jewelleries???) to see 1) if he's really her grandson, and 2. he's in jail or actually in some kind of financial trouble.
> 
> Next time, with these "Grandparents Scams", simple words of advice to ALL grandparents out there:
> 
> 1. Tell your "grandkids" when they do "call" (notice, it's never a visit - yah yah yah, it's the Covid time excuse) to either,
> a. Take a Hike, or
> b. Ask their Banks of Dad and/or Mom (or are they both dead?) instead, or
> c. Let the answering machine answer the phone. Then delete these stupid message(s).


Or ask how Wolfie is doing... bonus points to those who get the reference.


----------



## Beaver101

Newmarket senior loses $100K in grandparent scam

Above article is behind a paywall but article tells it's another grandparents' scam, only this time the amount is 10 times bigger.

Do grand-kids ever "visit" their grandparents these days? Or is it still the Covid "lockdown" excuses that they can't. How about the parents like "kids" of the grandparents? Where are they? Dead? 

If all above fails, then where's Zoom? Oh, the LTC or granddad don't uses Zoom? There's always a bank around the corner for the taking or is the latest trend of car-jacking too difficult a task to handle?


----------



## Plugging Along

Thought I would add another scam I almost got caught on today. I received a FB friend request from one of my friends who I was already friends with. This sometimes happens when someone unfriends you by accident, or you do something to deletes them out. It had their profile picture and their regular background picture. I recognized the pictures and the person and accepted. They send me a message asking how I was after accepting. Then said they were reaching because they were concerned for me, and to see if I receive CBR - some Covid bonus. I said no, they offered the link. I double search them, and found two profiles for my friend, who I was still friends with. They looked identifical, except the fake didn't have all of the personal info where the person worked ect. I told the fake, that I wasn't eligible, and they disappeared. I immediately blocked/unfriended and reported. 

Just letting others know, as this one totally caught me off gaurd. I even problems making sure I reported the right account because they looked exactly the same.
FB has taken the down the account. So now, I am checking FB to see if there are anyone with my name AND profile picture.


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## kcowan

I get a lot of those fake FB friend requests. If it is a close friend I report the fake one.


----------

