‘Dont click the link’: North Vancouver RCMP warns against scam making rounds
Posted April 28, 2020 8:00 pm.
Last Updated April 29, 2020 5:16 am.
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — There is another scam making the rounds in the region, according to Mounties in North Vancouver.
RCMP say it generally appears via text message, saying Canada Revenue is sending you some cash to help you stay afloat during this pandemic, and has a link for you to click.
Scam artists continue to play on fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re not immune from them either. We have to look our for one another and make sure our friends & family don’t become victims. Please read the release & spread the word: https://t.co/0IO3auOkIm pic.twitter.com/aNYAT5cNWJ
— North Vancouver RCMP (@nvanrcmp) April 28, 2020
Sgt. Peter DeVries says don’t click that link, because it can open the door to having your personal information stolen by crooks.
He’s also asking you to help warn others.
“Please share this with people that you know with your friends and family people in the community who may be particularly vulnerable to these kinds of scams, people who may not be familiar with the systems of government, perhaps, new to Canada or people who are not technically savvy and not familiar with some of the technologies that, that we use nowadays,” he says.
DeVries says he actually got the message himself, while he was doing some chores at home.
“Folks, please don’t fall for these scams. These are people who are trying to take advantage of us during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he says.
DeVries received a scam text message promising to send him money through a link from the “Canadian Revenue Agency.” He says that’s one red flag; The correct name is the Canada Revenue Agency.
He says there are other variations of the scam, sometimes involving email.
Since the pandemic, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has seen an “uptick in fake emails, texts and social media posts that try to trick victims into believing the Government of Canada is sending them COVID-19 relief money,” according to a release.
If you’ve received a text like this, and haven’t lost anything or given up any of your personal information, you can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online.
