Microsoft Community Development Specialists are all about empowering the local community with support and resources. They see people walk in almost every day who have lost money or time because someone from “Microsoft” called them, they called a pop-up number on their computer and a wide variety of other fraudulent reasons. Helping to improve digital […]
Lovelorn seniors common prey for scammers, say fraud experts
From the Calgary Hearld A whopping $20 million was lost to romance scams in 2018 and the most targeted group was seniors by a landslide, explained Keith Ward, a fraud analyst with the RCMP Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Read more here
CRA Scam
Police say a 58-year-old woman received a phone call on Wednesday afternoon from someone claiming to be from the agency, who said she owed $6,000 in taxes and there was a warrant for her arrest. The woman was contacted again by a person claiming to be with the RCMP and he convinced her to give […]
Don’t Drink It! How to Avoid Fake Liquor Scams
It seems there’s a flourishing trade in fake liquor, especially bourbons and vodkas. Counterfeits are turning up in all types of places, including hotels, retail stores and even airport duty-free shops. Some of this fake booze can be downright dangerous, containing methanol, instead of ethanol, and other harmful chemicals that can result in […]
Watch Your Lenses
If you’re a photo enthusiast and like to travel with a lot of gear, watch out for thieves who feel equally enthusiastic about it. They generally operate as a group of up to five or six people who rush up to you and seem to want to show you something. They hold a […]
Fake Hotels and Rentals
Who knew there so many ways of parting a tourist and his money? Although we’ve written about fake hotel bookings and vacation rentals before, the scam has risen at such an alarming rate during the past couple of years, it’s worth repeating the warning. The scam usually takes the form of someone advertising a […]
Hotel Card Skimming
GoBear also reports on the increasing use of skimmers at some hotels. You hand over your credit card to pay a bill and, in addition to running it through the hotel card reader, the employee also passes it through a small pocket device, which reads and stores all your card information. This may […]
Double Room Service Charge
This one was reported by the consumer finance site GoBear.com. You’re settling in to your vacation hotel. Why not order room service and get into relaxation mode right now? A hotel employee delivers your order and asks you to sign a confirmation slip. But then he announces that this hotel doesn’t allow you to […]
Another Potential Phone Scam
If it happens in the US it won’t take long for it to come to Canada. The U.S. Social Security Administration won’t be phoning you to tell you about a computer glitch that’s mixed up your Social Security number and that they need you to confirm the number. It’s a scam so just hang up.
Alert of the Week
Tech support scammers have come up with a new trick to connect with victims via on-screen pop-ups. The latest pop-ups are actually automated dialers. If you click on them, your computer will call the fake support number, using your computer microphone and speakers to connect you with the crooks. Never click on a tech-support pop-up. […]