TORONTO -- Innovative scammers are using the coronavirus pandemic to come up with new ways to cheat Canadians out of their money and personal information.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen the spread of new scam techniques, capitalizing on prevailing fears and anxieties about the disease to dupe victims.
Carmi Levy, director of the London, Ont., based Info-Tech Research Group, told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning show Thursday about ways Canadians can protect themselves.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking advantage of the fact that we鈥檙e all looking for something, we all want this to be over and we鈥檙e more likely to respond when we see something that appeals to that inner humanity,鈥 Levy said.
鈥淭he first thing we have to do is simply resist the urge to respond to everything. If you don鈥檛 answer that email or don鈥檛 get back on that message or don鈥檛 click on that button or link, the world will not end.鈥
In a new coronavirus twist on the traditional 鈥榓rrest warrant鈥 scam, Levy said fraudsters may use wording like 鈥榳e saw you outside, you should be in quarantine, if we see you outside again there will be an arrest warrant issued for you.鈥
Other scammers may advertise what appear to be government programs or fake charity appeals to extract money from unsuspecting Canadians.
Scam sites selling cleaning products offering to 鈥榮uper-clean your house or office鈥 have also emerged during the pandemic.
鈥淐licking on the link will take you to a scam website and that鈥檚 where the hack begins,鈥 Levy explained.
He recommends against responding to suspicious messages on a smartphone or tablet.
鈥淲ait until you get back to your desktop or laptop computer, then you can use your mouse to hover over that link or button,鈥 he said.
鈥淒on鈥檛 click on it, it will pop-up what exactly that link is. Note it and if you鈥檙e working鈥 report it to the helpdesk. Delete the message, report it as spam. Do not respond to it, because the instant you respond that鈥檚 when they get you.鈥
Levy advised, to avoid misinformation, people should know who the legitimate authorities are.
鈥淭here鈥檚 lots going around on social media, sometimes it鈥檚 hard to tell the legit from the not legit,鈥 he said.
鈥淵ou know Health Canada, CDC (Centers for Disease Control), WHO (World Health Organization), go to legitimate sources. Just because you saw it on the internet doesn鈥檛 mean it is in fact true. Resist the urge to share it, resist the urge to send it along.鈥
Health-care sector warned
Not even those on the front lines of the fight to stop COVID-19 are immune to scam attempts.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warning that the pandemic "presents an elevated level of risk to the cyber security of Canadian health organizations involved in the national response to the pandemic."
The organization suggested that hackers might attempt to infect these organizations' computers with ransomware or other malware, and could also try to steal sensitive data around Canada's response to the virus.
"The Cyber Centre recommends that Canadian health organizations remain vigilant and take the time to ensure that they are engaged in cyber defence best practices," the alert reads.
Better Business Bureau
also issued a warning Thursday to be vigilant and provided tips to avoid 鈥渇ake cures, phony prevention measures and other coronavirus cons.鈥
It highlighted fraudulent health product claims that promise miracle cures to the coronavirus and added that it has received 鈥渘umerous reports about scam websites claiming to sell face masks online.鈥
鈥淭he best way to avoid getting scammed is to buy them directly from a seller you know and trust,鈥 BBB said in a press release.
鈥淏e sure the online store has working contact information. Before offering up your name, address, and credit card information, make sure the company is legitimate. Look for a real street address and a working customer service number.鈥
Canadian Anti-Fraud Agency
Last week, the a list of ways to avoid coronavirus related scams.
鈥淔raudsters are creative and want to profit from consumers鈥 fears, uncertainties and misinformation,鈥 the CAFC said in a news release issued Friday.
Among its tips was a caution about private companies offering COVID-19 tests, which are currently only available at hospitals, according to the CAFC.
Fraudsters going door-to-door offering decontamination services should also be avoided.
Public Health Agency of Canada
This week, Texas-based cybersecurity firm SpyCloud discovered that a hacker had created a fake website masquerading as a .
鈥淭hey even went so far as to create a fake CAPTCHA to make the site feel legitimate and put victims at ease,鈥 the company said in an email to CTVNews.ca, referring to the picture test many websites use to distinguish human users from bots.
鈥淲hen a victim completes the CAPTCHA, the website invites them to download a letter from a 鈥榤edical officer of health鈥 on COVID-19.鈥
Early this month, CTVNews.ca reported on online scammers posing as World Health Organization officials to capitalize on the novel coronavirus outbreak to target individuals and organizations with phishing scams.
In Edmonton, utility company EPCOR is telling customers to be cautious of a
The company is being told customers are receiving calls during which a scammer says the account holder is in arrears and must pay immediately or power will be disconnected. The utility company provides .
In February, The Canadian Press reported on criminal groups exploiting fears over the coronavirus outbreak in an email phishing campaign directed at the global shipping industry.
According to a report issued by a California-based cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, the campaign used emails with bogus Microsoft Word attachments designed to install a type of malware known as AZORult.
AZORult has been around since at least 2016 and can be used to install ransomware, which is designed to lock legitimate users out of their computer systems until a ransom is paid.
And in January, 麻豆影视 Vancouver reported a warning from the Better Business Bureau advising people to
