Phone scams aren’t new, but they have become more sophisticated. Here are just a few to give you an idea of what we’re all up against.
How it Starts
You’re stuck at work and realize you aren’t going to make your 7 p.m. flight. You tell Siri to call Western Airlines. A friendly young man answers and you ask for a later flight. No problem. The change fee is $150. Since it’s last minute, he’s going to text you a link to make the payment. That will ensure you don’t have any problems at the airport.
How They Trick You
That wasn’t actually Western Airlines that you called. Siri found the number on a fake website that scammers created. That link you got via text sent you to a real payment page, but it wasn’t the airline. They’ve stolen that $150 and may get a lot more before you get to the airport and figure out what happened.
How it Starts
Your phone’s ringing and the caller ID says TD bank. That’s where your accounts are, so you answer. The woman introduces herself as Monica from the fraud department. You start getting nervous. Monica asks if you transferred $9,999 out of your account early this morning. Now, you’re starting to freak out. “Don’t worry,” she says. If you can just work with her for a few minutes, she’ll get your money back and track down the thief. Whew! Monica tells you that she’s opened a new account for you and asks if you can get on a computer. She gives you a website address to go to: td-monica-34.com. The screen looks like the usual TD login page. She asks you to log-in with your card number and password. The screen changes to a “Please wait” message. Monica says she’s putting you on hold, but will be right back. You wait five minutes, and then get cut off.
How They Trick You
That wasn’t the bank calling. “Monica” purposefully put you in a panic to retrieve your stolen money. But that’s not what was happening. The web address she sent you to was part of the ruse and the scammers just got your log-in details. It was during the time you were on hold that the theft actually occurred.
How it Starts
Your phone is ringing and the caller ID says Westchester Inn. That’s where you stayed on summer vacation last year. The caller is George, the Customer Experience Manager, and you’ve won a free two week stay! What? Yes, all guests are entered into the contest, and you won a suite for your family. To claim your winnings, you just need to pay the hotel tax, $245.12. You get pretty excited about saving more than $3,000. “Weren’t your parents with you last year?” George asks. Since you are such a valued customer, he offers to give them a room too. He’ll just need your mother’s maiden name, so the reservations don’t get flagged as duplicates in his system. Last thing, what’s your credit card number for those pesky taxes?
How They Trick You
When you were on vacation last year, you raved about the hotel on Facebook, and posted a photo of the kids having fun with their grandparents. That was eight months ago and not something that comes to mind when you get the call. “George” isn’t going to charge your credit card for the taxes. He’s going to hijack your credit card account. If you had hesitated about paying the taxes or providing your credit card number, “George” would have pressured you with something like, “If you don’t accept the offer today, I have to give it to someone else.” If you had questioned giving your mother’s maiden name, he would have told you a story about the company’s rules, that he’s only supposed to offer one room, etc. George would have an explanation for everything.
How to Protect Yourself
Remember that scammers collect and combine information from many different sources. They use the latest technology and have the resources to make thousands of calls, fake websites, and whatever else they need to be convincing.
Do not rely on voice search or an advertisement for phone numbers if you’re going to make a transaction.
Do not engage with anyone who has called you if they ask for any personal, financial, or login information.
If you get a call that makes you anxious, hang up. If the call was supposedly from a bank or credit company, call the number on the back of your card and tell them about the call you got.
Even if the call is from a business familiar to you, don’t trust the caller. You’re not being rude – you’re being careful. Find the phone number yourself, in your own records, through your online account, or by searching online, but looking at a few different results that are not tagged as sponsored (ads) to verify.
Report any scam attempts to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
If you think you’ve been scammed, check this page for what to do.
