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No, you don't need to report suspicious emails or text messages to Canada Post. If you think you've been the victim of fraud, report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501. You can also forward any spam text messages to 7726 (SPAM on most keypads). This will let your phone provider block future texts from that ...
- The Message Is Not Specifically For You
- It's Chock Full of Spelling and Grammatical Errors
- The Message Promises Freebies
- The Message Demands Immediate Action
- It Contains Mysterious Links
- The Message Is from A Bank Or Some Other Financial Institution
- It's Come from An Unusual Number
It's pretty likely that you exchange text messages with a relatively small group of people — friends, family and co-workers. Most people don't get a lot of "cold call" texts from people they don't know, so a message from someone you don't know, or a simple "Hello" directed to no one in particular, is a big red flag. A group message or a text that d...
For whatever reason, spammers who specialize in sending fake messages seem especially bad at grammar and spelling. That's good news for us, because any text purporting to come from a large, legitimate business will ensure its texts are letter perfect. If you get a text that has obvious errors and it's not from a close friend, you can assume it's fa...
Sweepstakes, giveaways and prizes are the stock and trade of the modern marketing industry, so just because you get a text that promises free stuff, that doesn't automatically imply you've gotten a fake test. But there's a good chance it's spam — look for the context clues. If you've been told you have already won, and you simply need to complete s...
One common trick that spammers and fraudsters use is to install a sense of urgency in their message — whether it's to convince you that the message is coming from a friend who needs immediate financial assistance, the IRS looking for a missing payment, or a company warning that you have a problem with your car, house, or some other asset and need t...
Fraudulent texters and spammers try to disguise themselves, so they might include unidentified links in their messages. Never tap a link that doesn't come from someone you know — the link could lead to a phishing site or contain malware. In fact, you can generally assume any text you get from an unknown party that has mysterious links is probably f...
As a general rule, financial institutions don't contact customers via text message, and those that do won't ask for personal details or demand payments that way. Often, spammers won't know who you bank with, so you might get text messages from a bank you don't even have an account with. If they get lucky, though, and spam you with a text from a fin...
Finally, beware of texts from unknown parties — either phone numbers you don't recognize or, worse, lengthy numbers that don't conform to the standard usual 10-digit domestic phone number convention. Texts from international numbers or automated systems can generate these awkward numbers and they are tell-tale signs that you're getting something fr...
- Henry Blodget
- Alice Richard
- Be sceptical and trust your gut. The very first thing you should do before engaging with any email or message is to proceed with caution. Scam messages can be so convincing that it's hard to tell them apart from the real deal – it's no wonder that people fall victim to them.
- Contact them directly. A surefire way to find out if an email or message is dodgy is to go straight to the source: the business or individual the message is supposedly from.
- Check for errors and inconsistencies. An easy giveaway for a scam is a dodgy-looking URL. Scammers are becoming savvier, creating email addresses, email signatures and websites to trick people.
- Google stalk them. Before you hand over a single cent or skerrick of personal info to a person or business you haven't dealt with before, look them up online.
Nov 4, 2024 · To scare a scammer, you could waste their time with silly responses, pretend to be an automated messenger, or resend them the messages they sent you. Report all text scams to the Federal Trade Commission’s Report Fraud site, filter messages from unknown numbers, and avoid opting in on company sites. Is it wise to scare text scammers?
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t.
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t.
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t.
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake.
Jan 16, 2024 · Legitimate SMS marketing messages are usually sent from a 6-digit short code (like 711711), a 10-digit toll-free phone number (ex: 844-462-2554), or a local text-enabled business phone. If you receive a text message from an unidentified 11-digit number, the odds are high that it’s a scam.
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Enter the sender’s number or name and the suspected fake text message you got. Artificial intelligence (AI) checks if it’s a safe or a harmful scam text message. Tell the AI if you are happy with the result or not.
