With uncertain times there are people who thrive to help, and those who strike to hurt.

While many people have noticed that the number of telemarking calls they are receiving has dropped due to many call centers being shut down and people being required to isolate, there are malicious scams that are directly related to Covid-19 and the threat that it presents, and these criminals want to profit from consumer’s fears and the spread of misinformation.

Referencing the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, these scams include:

• False information spoofing the government and healthcare information
• Calls, emails, texts, Facebook messages and other forms of communication demanding urgent action must be taken regarding your medical records, government assistance or compensation.  trying to extract personal information from you.

If you did not initiate this contact, then the source is unreliable and you do not know who you are truly communicating with.  Responding to these suspicious links or attachments in emails and messages (including replying or forwarding on the message) can increase your risk.  Clicking links that are from unreliable sources can allow spyware to copy keystrokes on your computer (recording things such as logins and passwords)

• Fraudulent “Charities” that are requesting money for victims, research and healthcare are also circulating.  You can verify a charity on the Government of Canada website as all legitimate charities must be registered with the Canadian government.

If you are feeling pressured to donate or the representative is creating a sense of urgency, or requesting financial information from you, this may be a fraudulent charity.

There have been numerous scams of phone calls and websites offering “cures” for Covid-19 and these include vaccinations, express testing, herbal remedies and “miracle cures”.  There have also been reports of fraudsters threatening to disconnect essential services for non-payment asking for financial  information. Other reports include:

• Fraudulent government departments  sending phishing emails with malicious attachments, attempting to trick you into revealing sensitive information,
• Posing as a Financial Advisor and pressuring to investing in virus related stocks  or providing financial aid or loans to assist with financing.
• Door to Door sales claiming to sell “Decontamination Kits” for your home and fast testing kits for Covid-19 virus; Please remember that only health care providers can and will administer the tests, and no other tests are genuine.

If you receive a message from Lakeland Credit Union that you have not initiated or are anticipating or seems suspicious or not legitimate, please reach out to the Branch and we can verify the validity of the communication.