Knowing when to be on guard goes a long way. So to help ensure you\u2019re prepared and able to spot scams, keep reading to learn about ones to be ready for in 2023 and 2024, drawn from reports from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, police forces across Canada, and other sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI-enabled scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong>It seems like everyone\u2019s talking about the power of machine learning \u2014 often better known as artificial intelligence, or AI. And yes, it is impressive, but beware of AI\u2019s power to deceive: Experts are warning of AI-enabled scams that leverage the technology to allow fraudsters to convincingly impersonate trusted people and organizations. Some criminals are using AI to fake specific people\u2019s voices over a phone call (\u201cdeepfakes\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do?<\/strong> Think before you react to odd calls and situations. Verify information independently before you take any serious steps \u2014 say, if you receive an unusual call from a family member asking them to send you money, call them <\/em>to confirm it\u2019s a real request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong>To prey on people\u2019s need for financial help, loan scammers offer a loan on good terms \u2014 but only after you pay a fee. (The scam is that there isn\u2019t really a loan on offer \u2014 but the \u201cfee\u201d you\u2019d pay would be real!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do?<\/strong> Beware of any loan offer that involves upfront fees (and definitely don\u2019t pay them). Make sure to do your research and only deal with trusted, legitimate financial entities, and be especially cautious about offers that seem too good to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong>As a way to get around two-factor authentication, scammers use automated bots to request one-time passwords from victims, often impersonating banks or service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do?<\/strong> Don\u2019t share authentication codes. Scrutinize incoming messages very carefully to ensure they really come from the entity they say they do. Hint: Legitimate messages don\u2019t request sensitive information, passwords and codes out of the blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong>Bank scams involve fraudsters posing as financial institutions, hoping to trick you into revealing personal or financial information \u2014 often as part of an attempt to access your accounts or steal your identity. For example, fraudsters have improved their fake website-building skills so it can be really hard to distinguish a fake from the real thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do?<\/strong> Check carefully to make sure you\u2019re really interacting with your bank. When you\u2019re banking online, make sure the website is genuine \u2014 avoid clicking on the URL from an online ad; instead, manually type in the financial institution’s URL to make sure you\u2019re not being diverted to a fake site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if it’s a phone call, ask yourself: Is it really your bank calling? Offer to call them back, or visit the bank in person to discuss what they\u2019re calling about. Don\u2019t click on suspicious links in emails or texts. Once again, don\u2019t reveal anything <\/em>sensitive during incoming calls. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong>Scammers send fake delivery notifications or payment requests for non-existent packages, exploiting online shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can you do?<\/strong> Carefully scrutinize the message \u2014 is the email, contact info or website address correct? (Sometimes scammers use addresses that look very close to real courier companies\u2019.) Don\u2019t click links in the message either: Verify the request by calling or visiting the official website with the given tracking number. And keep track of your packages \u2014 know what\u2019s coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the scam? <\/strong> Perhaps you\u2019ve heard of phishing<\/a>? Now there\u2019s whaling \u2014 it\u2019s phishing, but at work. Scammers are taking advantage of the continuing work-from-home habits of office workers \u2014 which has led to us not seeing our managers face-to-face quite as often \u2014 by stepping in and impersonating the boss. They\u2019re making requests, typically via email, that could compromise the company if you followed through.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLoan scams (including loan fee fraud)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One-time password bot scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bank scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n \n\n\nPackage delivery scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhaling\u201d \u2014 phishing, but in a workplace context<\/h3>\n\n\n\n