Quick Tips
- Protect your computer with anti-virus and anti-spam software, as well as a firewall.
- Only use your personal e-mail address when dealing with friends and family; set up a separate account for all other online activity.
- Do not open, respond to or make purchases from e-mails you suspect are spam – just delete them!
Phishing
Anyone with an e-mail account is subject to receiving annoying letters from scammers as far away as Nigeria, Guyana and the Ivory Coast.
And e-mail scams are on the rise. One of the many schemes operating around the world is called “phishing.” It’s an identity theft scam that persuades consumers to provide bank account, credit card number or other personal information online.
In exchange for the use of your bank account, you will allegedly receive hundreds of thousands of dollars. In reality, if you bite, you will be required to provide cash up-front for bogus shipping charges, taxes and other costs. At the end of the day, you receive nothing. If you receive an e-mail like this, don’t respond! Instead, forward it to wafl@phonebusters.com.
Things to watch out for:
- Phoney e-mails and websites from “financial institutions,” which turn out to be fakes;
- Signing up for mailing lists, replying to spam e-mail and posting your e-mail address can open your system to attacks.
If you receive a letter, phone call or e-mail you think is a scam, or if you suspect you are a victim of mail or telemarketing fraud, please contact the PhoneBusters national law enforcement call centre at:
PhoneBusters
P.O. Box 686
North Bay, ON P1B 8J8
Toll-free: 1-888-495-8501
Toll-free Fax: 1-888-654-9426
E-mail: info@phonebusters.com
For advanced-fee fraud letters and e-mails only:
wafl@phonebusters.com
For more information on letter scams, go to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
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