Scams

Scams are fraudulent schemes designed to deceive people into giving up money or personal information by gaining their trust. Common scams include romance, phishing, investment, lottery, and impersonation scams that often demand immediate payment or threaten urgency.

Be wary of unexpected wins, high-paying job offers, or any request for payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers, and never click on unsolicited links or provide personal information. 

Common types of scams

• Romance scams: Build an emotional connection to manipulate you into sending money for fabricated emergencies or future plans.

• Phishing scams: Pretend to be a trusted company or individual to trick you into revealing financial and personal information by sending emails, texts, or messages with malicious links or attachments.

• Investment scams: Create fake opportunities to get you excited about making money, like Ponzi schemes or binary options scams, so you invest your cash with them.

• Lottery/Prize scams: Claim you've won a prize but need to pay a fee or provide personal information upfront to claim it.

• Impersonation scams: Pretend to be from a government agency, a bank, or a friend/family member to steal money or information.

• Employment scams: Offer a high-paying job for little work, but require you to pay for training or supplies first.

• Online shopping scams: Present fake products or services in online marketplaces or classifieds, often taking a deposit and never delivering the item. 

  
  

How to identify a scam

• Urgency and threats: Scammers often pressure you to act immediately or use threatening language to create panic.

• Requests for specific payment methods: They frequently demand payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers, which are difficult to trace and recover.

• Unexpected contact: Government agencies and legitimate companies will not contact you to offer funds, demand immediate payment over the phone, or ask you to click a link to get a prize.

• Suspicious links and attachments: Unsolicited messages that ask you to click on links or download attachments are often a red flag.

• Poor spelling and grammar: While not always the case, many scam messages have spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.

• Emotional manipulation: Scams often prey on emotions like fear, greed, hope, or compassion to trick you into acting without thinking. 

  
  

What to do if you suspect a scam

• Stop communicating: Do not reply to the message or call the number back.

• Do not click links or download attachments: This can expose your device to malware or lead you to a phishing website.

• Do not send money or personal information: Never provide sensitive information or send money to someone you don't know, especially if they are asking for unusual payment methods.

• Report the scam: If you have already sent money, contact the company or bank behind the payment method immediately to see if you can get your money back. Report the incident to the appropriate authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or your local police.