Scammers impersonate well-known companies

White Rock

2024-08-19 09:56 PDT

File # 2024-4484

Scammers are impersonating well-known companies. These come in waves, and scammers might say they’re from Amazon, Microsoft, FedEx, your bank, or many others. They’ll text, call, email, or send messages on social media — or maybe put a pop-up alert on your computer. They might say there’s fraud on your account, or your money is at risk — and to fix it, you need to buy crypto (such as bitcoin) and send it to them. But that’s a scam. If you click the link in any message, answer the call, or call back the number on the pop-up, you’ll be connected to a scammer.

You will never receive a QR code for payment from any government agency, police agency or public service. It is always a scam. If you receive these demands, - slow down, hang up/disengage and do not send any payments.

Review these safety tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud.

QR code with logo for Ministry of Attorney General, Scotia Bank and Government of Canada