Do You Know about These Phone Scams?

Prevention message transmitted only in French by the Sûreté du Québec and translated with the help of translation software.

Many fraudsters will impersonate an advisor, investigator, family member or government official. Their aim is to manipulate you into divulging personal or banking information. What’s more, they may use software or computer applications to trick you, such as changing the number on your call display. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:

False Financial Advisor Scam:

Your financial institution informs you of fraudulent activity on your account? Has your credit card been cloned? Do you have to provide your personal and banking information over the phone? Beware, refuse. Fraudsters may begin their calls by asking you to confirm your identity using the information already at their disposal. Their goal? To get you to trust them! Are you being asked to insert your payment cards and passwords in an envelope to be collected from your home by an advisor? Refuse, hang up, it’s fraud.

False Financial Advisor Scam:

Your financial institution informs you of fraudulent activity on your account? Has your credit card been cloned? Do you have to provide your personal and banking information over the phone? Beware, refuse. Fraudsters may begin their calls by asking you to confirm your identity using the information already at their disposal. Their goal? To get you to trust them! Are you being asked to insert your payment cards and passwords in an envelope to be collected from your home by an advisor? Refuse, hang up, it’s fraud.

Grandparent Scam:

A member of your family (e.g. grandson) claims to be in urgent need of money due to a car accident, detention, hospitalization, etc.? It’s important not to breathe a word of this to anyone? Don’t send any money right away. Validate the story presented to you and the identity of the person you’re communicating with by calling another family member or friend.

Even if you think you recognize the voice of someone close to you, you could be dealing with a fraudster. Agree on a secret code (e.g. a word or phrase) with family members that you can use in a similar situation. This code will help determine whether you are really communicating with a family member. Never broadcast this code on the Internet; talk directly to your family members.

Fake Police Officer Scam:

Do you have to pay back alleged unpaid traffic tickets? Threatened with arrest if you refuse to provide your credit card number or buy cryptoactives? Refuse. Hang up on these fraudsters.

Still in Doubt?

Take a step back. Don’t send any money. Don’t pass on any personal or banking information. From a reliable source, find the official telephone number of the organization in question. Then call them to verify the validity of the request.