Protecting Yourself Against Fraud

[RogersYasmine]

Our products and services touch millions of lives every day connecting people, businesses and society with each other and the world around them. The world of possibilities to learn, grow and connect expands each time a new technology platform, app or site is launched. Unfortunately, as this happens, fraudsters and criminals are constantly evolving their techniques to take advantage of unassuming consumers across all industries. What can we do to prevent ourselves from becoming the next target of a potential fraud attempt? Let’s get educated on what some common scams look like, how to protect yourself from a potential fraud attempt, and where to report it.

Three types of scams common amongst fraudsters include: phishing (done via email), vishing (done via phone calls) and smishing (done via text message/SMS).

Let’s break it down further…

Phishing (Email)

Phishing is when scammers use email messages with phony email addresses, websites, or pop-up windows to gather personal information.

What should I do if I’ve received a suspicious email from Rogers?

Do NOT respond to the email, provide personal information online to the sender, send or forward it to others, or click on any links or attachments included within the email. Instead, forward the email to abuse@rogers.com. Make sure to include the following details in your email to Rogers:

• Include a brief description of the issue
• Copy and paste the full email headers above the body of the forwarded email

Vishing (Phone Calls)

Vishing (short for “voice phishing”) occurs when scammers attempt to gather your personal or financial information over the phone. Usually, they make calls to offer you fake rate plans and promise incentives if you complete a survey or if you respond to their requests to “confirm” your account by providing sensitive information like PINs, passwords, or account numbers.

What should I do if I’ve received a suspicious phone call from Rogers?

Do NOT provide personal information if the caller sounds suspicious. If possible, record the phone number that appeared on your call display, then contact Rogers at 1-888-764-3771 to report the incident. We will be able to determine if the call was legitimate.

Smishing (Text Message/SMS)

Smishing occurs when scammers attempt to gather personal or financial information through text messages/SMS. Usually, these text messages will ask you to visit a specific website or call a certain phone number where you will be asked to provide information.

What should I do if I’ve received a suspicious text message from Rogers?

Do NOT respond to the text message, provide personal information to the sender, or click on any links or attachments included in the message. You can report the suspicious or unsolicited message for investigation by forwarding it via text message to 7726 (SPAM). Keep in mind that only message content is considered for blocking, not the sender’s telephone number (as they tend to change often).

To forward a message on an Android device:

• Tap the message to open the conversation view.
• Once you’re in the conversation view, press and hold the message contents you want to forward, then tap the forward arrow when it appears in the top menu.
• Tap New Message on the next screen.
• Enter 7726 in the ‘To:’ field and tap the checkmark to accept. Tap SMS to send the forwarded message.

To forward a message from iOS:

• Tap the message to open the conversation view.
• In the conversation view, press and hold the message until ‘More’ appears, then press it.
• The message you pressed and held will be selected. If applicable, check off any additional messages in the conversation that you want to forward. Tap the forward arrow to continue.
• Enter 7726 in the ‘To:’ field and press the send button.

**NOTE: If you provided your PIN/password in response to a suspicious email, voice call or text message, or if you don’t have a PIN/password set up on your Rogers account, change or create your PIN/password as soon as possible.

If you have received a suspicious Voice Call or Email from another company, do NOT provide personal information and for emails, do NOT click on any links or open any attachments in the email.

Instead, report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:

• Online: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm
• By phone: 1 888 495-8501

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has a lot of information on known scams. Review their website to protect yourself from potential fraud.

If you have any other advice or tips on how we as a community, can continue to protect against these types of threats, please leave your comments below!