Fraud Prevention Month – Unsure about the legitimacy of an email, call or text? Here’s what you need to know about social engineering
Have you ever received an email, text or phone call from a seemingly trustworthy source enquiring about your personal information or offering something that seems too good to be true?
If so, you’re not alone. In fact, this is a common form of fraud called social engineering and as we close out Fraud Prevention Month,we want to equip you with the tools and knowledge to better recognize, reject and report fraud.
Social engineering is a form of fraud that uses human interaction, coupled with social skills, to obtain or compromise information. This can be done through, but not limited to, Phishing, Smishing, Scam calls or Caller ID Spoofing. While these words may sound funny, the consequences can be serious.
Here’s what you need to know about two major forms of social engineering and how you can better protect yourself.
Types of social engineering
1. Phishing
What is it?
Phishing refers to a fake email message that tries to trick someone into unknowingly doing something that puts them and their information at risk. This can include sharing personal information or downloading viruses, like malware or spyware.
How can I spot it?
- Be wary of requests for personal information. Consider this a red flag immediately. Major institutions such as banks and government services will not as ask you to send personal information by email or text.
- Be wary of urgent messages, slightly altered websites or email addresses, and emails with spelling and grammatical errors.
- Email messages that promise large sums of money but first require you to pay an “inheritance tax” or try to shock, scare or guilt you into sending money are almost certainly scams. Delete them immediately.
How can I protect myself?
- Don’t use the same passwords or usernames across multiple accounts. Always create a strong, unique password for your sensitive accounts and change the password often.
- Don’t respond to online or phone requests for personal information such as your bank account number, even if they say they are from a company’s customer service, help desk or corporate security department. Reputable organizations like banks will never call or email and ask you for sensitive information. If you’re uncertain, contact the service provider to check if the request is legitimate.
Learn more about how you can protect yourself against phishing and if you have received suspected spam to your Rogers account.
2. Scam calls or Caller ID Spoofing
What is it?
Scam calls are a form of fraudulent activity with the goal of stealing your money or your information. Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately changes the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity, so you’ll answer the call.
How can I spot it?
- If the caller (often a recording) asks you to press a button to stop receiving calls or asks you to say “yes” in response to a question, hang up. Scammers often use these tricks to identify, and then target respondents, or use your “yes” to apply unauthorized charges to your bill.
- If the call is at all suspicious, it is probably a scam. Just hang up.
- Be aware that a Caller ID showing a “local” number doesn’t mean it’s a local caller.
How can I protect myself?
- Don’t give away your personal information on the phone to an unsolicited caller.
- If the caller claims to be from a legitimate organization and you’re unsure, hang up and call back using a number from their website or your latest bill if you are a customer.
- If they say they are calling regarding one of your accounts, ask for more information. Call back using a number from their website or your bill.
- Unsure about the legitimacy of a call or email? We’ve put together these five key questions to ask yourself if you’re feeling uncertain.
Have you received a suspicious email that appears to be sent from Rogers? Here are some key actions to take:
- Forward the email to abuse@rogers.com and include a brief description of the issue
- Copy and paste the full email headers above the body of the forwarded email
- If you provided your PIN/password in response to the suspicious email, or if you don’t have a PIN/password already set up on your Rogers account, contact us at Customer Service or 1 (888) 764-3771 to change or create your PIN/password
- For suspicious text (SMS) messages, forward them to: 7726 (SPAM).
If you have provided your Rogers.com password, immediately reset it and contact us at Customer Service or 1 (888) 764-3771 to ensure no unauthorized transactions were initiated.
Remember, we’re here to help! We’re committed to protecting our customers from fraud. Every day beyond Fraud Prevention Month is an opportunity to learn how you can keep your information safe. Check out the following sites for more information: