Fraud Prevention Month - Protect Yourself from Employment Scams

[RogersYasmine]

As we all know, scams have continued to evolve and recognizing a new scam can sometimes be difficult. Nowadays, many of these scams are targeted at the online population. Scammers are becoming more and more creative in their efforts to trick unsuspecting people into providing access to their personal information. With March being Fraud Prevention Month, we’d like to highlight specific scams to be on the lookout for.

One of the more recent scams involve tricksters creating fake job postings and posing as HR representatives while using the names of real Canadian companies like Rogers. While there may be  various forms of employment scams, they most commonly involve an “offer letter” encouraging individuals to provide personal or financial information directly via email or though an online platform (usually a fake website or mobile application) designed to resemble an established Canadian business.

Tips to protect yourself

• Always validate the legitimacy of a job posting by making sure it’s listed on the company’s official website.
• Never provide any payment or accept funds from someone you don’t know. Legitimate Canadian companies will never ask for payment in exchange for employment.
• Keep an eye out for spelling errors or old company logos in the job offer.
• Beware of phishing emails and websites. Scammers will design websites to look like those of established Canadians businesses to collect your personal or financial information.
• Do not click on any link or submit any information on a website you’ve been sent by email until you’ve verified its legitimacy.
• Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. Using two-factor authentication requires you to enter your password, plus provide a second form of verification, such as a fingerprint or passcode via text. This makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your accounts if they do gain access to your personal information.
• Check your credit report, bank and credit card statements regularly, and promptly report any discrepancies.
• Use strong and unique passwords for each account and use passphrases to increase security. If a cyber criminal gains access to one account, this will limit them from accessing your other accounts.

Steps to take if you think you’ve been a victim of an employment scam

1. Change all online passwords to secure your account (for example, emails, social media, financial accounts, wireless carriers etc.).
2. Contact the fraud department of your bank or other service provider where any unauthorized inquiries, transactions or account activations occurred.
3. Report the incident to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495-8501 or through their website. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also has additional information on how to protect yourself against known scams.
4. Contact the fraud departments at these credit bureaus:
1. Equifax: 1 866 828-5961
2. Trans Union: 1 800 663-9980 (Quebec residents contact 1 877 713-3393)

We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!