Common Phone Scams

Whenever you receive a phone call or a text message that looks like it could be a scam, you might notice that there are ones that come up more often than other ones. During this lesson we will discuss the common phone scams that are happening around the world right now. Knowing these will help you quickly identify phone scams.

The Grandparent Scam

The Grandparent scam is where the scammer will contact older adults and pretend to be their grandchild or another family member. They will then be told that the family member was involved in some sort of emergency situation where they need money. The older adult will be told they cannot tell anyone else about the situation.

Did you know? Over $9.2 million was lost by older adults who reported falling victim to scams.

RCMP, the Provincial Police, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.

CRA Scam

The CRA scam is probably the most common phone scam out there. This is where the individual on the phone will pretend to be someone from the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) requesting personal information. They will try to instill fear in the people they are targeting by telling them they will be arrested or fined. They also sometimes offer fake refunds in hopes you will provide them with your information. You can check out the CRA Website to learn more about what scams are happening and how to avoid them.

Tech Support Scam

The Tech Support scam is one that involves the scammer reaching out to people through phone and try to scare them into paying to fix a software issue that doesn’t actually exist. The scammers will also try to get the victim to allow them remote access to their computer, and will then install a virus on to the victim’s computer. These individuals will claim that they work for reputable tech companies such as: Best Buy Geek Squad, Microsoft, and other well-known software companies. It is important to know, these companies will NEVER randomly contact you over the phone.