There have been three types of scams heavily circulating of late. The first appears to be an email from a boss or colleague requesting assistance on an unspecified or vague matter. Here is one example:
From: [boss’s name] (mailto:hpresident9988@gmail.co)
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2020 12:57 PM
To: [your name] yourname@email.com
Subject: Follow Up
Have you got a minute, I need you to complete a task for me discreetly. P.S : I am in a meeting and I can’t talk. So just reply me back.
Any follow-up replies will likely attempt to request a money transfer or purchase of goods (e.g. gift cards). Please note that the email sender address is likely not the legitimate address of your boss or colleague. If you receive such an email, and wish to verify the nature of the request, simply begin a new email thread to your boss or colleague (without responding to the original email), to confirm its legitimacy.
The second scam is one we’ve reported on in the past, and involves a bogus invoice with request for payment. Example here:
From: Giana Bonita <Bess.Stachowiak5711451@gmx.co>
Sent: April 1, 2020 12:40 PM
Subject: Invoice Due #767246
Attached is Invoice No. 767246 totaling $1952.65 for the work completed up to date.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Giana Bonita
Owner/Creator/Brand Guy
a: 72 Auburn Street, Portland, Maine 04103
p: 207 712 8966
The third scam attempt are emails purporting to be from Canada Post, with an actual official logo that has been copied and pasted into the email, with regard to an unsuccessful parcel delivery. Example here:
Dear client,
We were unable to deliver your parcel April 27, 2020 , 09:10 AM
This notification was sent automatically to inform you that as nobody was present at the specified shipping address, the delivery was impossible.
The following document contains information about your shipment.
Click Here
Please print it and take it to the Canada Post office referred to in the receipt to request your redelivery or pickup.
If the package is not requested for redelivery or picked up within 72 hours, it will be sent back to the sender.
Kind regards,
CanadaPost
Both the phony invoice and “Canada Post” emails are typically accompanied by a link or attachment. As always, links and attachments in unsolicited or unanticipated emails should not be accessed unless the sender can be positively verified, as they may contain viruses. With seemingly legitimate emails, such as the ones from “Canada Post”, simply hovering your cursor over any links in the body of the email (without clicking) will show that the link does not direct you to Canada Post, but something like “http://pats.mx/lndex.ph“, proving again that it is a fake. If the email purports to be from a company with whom you do business, it is best to contact the company or person directly (without responding to that email), in order to verify the sender.
As this is a confirmed scam attempt, you may simply dismiss and delete the message. These emails are attempting to either of the following:
- Steal your email password with a phony invoice payment request from a company or contact with whom you may have conducted business
- Lure you into downloading a virus attached to or linked from the email.
If the attachment or link is opened and the user does not have anti-virus software or firewall programs on their computer, their system could be infected.
For tips to avoid being victimized, and to report or seek advice on dealing with fraud and scam attempts, contact Cynthia Nield at cnield@lians.ca or 902 423 1300, x346.