Toronto Star
E-mail, Web scams seek personal data, police warn
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
Banks and police are reminding consumers to be wary about official-looking e-mails and websites that are actually scams designed to discover your account numbers and secret codes.
Customers of TD Canada Trust have recently been targets of a so-called "phishing" scam but clients of other Canadian banks have received similar bogus e-mails that links to authentic-looking Web sites.
Caroline Hubberstey of the Canadian Bankers Association said it's important for people to be cautious when they get unsolicited e-mail — especially if it's requesting personal information.
"Be suspicious of e-mails that direct you to websites that request your password, social insurance number or any other highly sensitive information," Hubberstey said.
"If you get such an e-mail, you may want to call the organization to verify its legitimacy."
In essence, she added, it's always important to know who you're really dealing with.
"Just as you wouldn't give information to anyone in the offline world, the same applies to discretion in the online world."
In September, the Canadian Bankers Association and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a joint reminder to the public to take precautions.
That came after police became aware of phishing for the first time in Canada.
The two most recent targets are apparently TD Canada Trust and PayPal, a U.S.-based Internet payment company recently purchased by EBay Inc.
There have been reports that customers of several British banks have also been targets of phishing expeditions in recent weeks.
An RCMP spokesman in Ottawa said Wednesday that the force doesn't comment about ongoing investigations and can't release information about alleged victims without their consent.
The RCMP and CBA say the online banking system itself is secure.
Others have described this type of scan as "social engineering" — a form of con job that gathers critical information from unsuspecting victims who may assume they are dealing with a legitimate source.
E-mail, Web scams seek personal data, police warn
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
Banks and police are reminding consumers to be wary about official-looking e-mails and websites that are actually scams designed to discover your account numbers and secret codes.
Customers of TD Canada Trust have recently been targets of a so-called "phishing" scam but clients of other Canadian banks have received similar bogus e-mails that links to authentic-looking Web sites.
Caroline Hubberstey of the Canadian Bankers Association said it's important for people to be cautious when they get unsolicited e-mail — especially if it's requesting personal information.
"Be suspicious of e-mails that direct you to websites that request your password, social insurance number or any other highly sensitive information," Hubberstey said.
"If you get such an e-mail, you may want to call the organization to verify its legitimacy."
In essence, she added, it's always important to know who you're really dealing with.
"Just as you wouldn't give information to anyone in the offline world, the same applies to discretion in the online world."
In September, the Canadian Bankers Association and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a joint reminder to the public to take precautions.
That came after police became aware of phishing for the first time in Canada.
The two most recent targets are apparently TD Canada Trust and PayPal, a U.S.-based Internet payment company recently purchased by EBay Inc.
There have been reports that customers of several British banks have also been targets of phishing expeditions in recent weeks.
An RCMP spokesman in Ottawa said Wednesday that the force doesn't comment about ongoing investigations and can't release information about alleged victims without their consent.
The RCMP and CBA say the online banking system itself is secure.
Others have described this type of scan as "social engineering" — a form of con job that gathers critical information from unsuspecting victims who may assume they are dealing with a legitimate source.
