Desjardins Group warns its customers against fraudsters who have fun stealing their identity and sending false rewards by email to Quebecers to empty their bank account.
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“We are indeed aware of emails inviting Desjardins members and clients to click on a link to obtain a “reward”, confirms to the Log Jean-Benoît Turcotti, spokesperson for the financial institution.
He adds that it is obviously a scam and that Desjardins is not the only company to be the victim of this new “phishing campaign”.
“At no time will Desjardins ask to click on a link to obtain a reward and Desjardins never asks for personal information by email or text message,” warns Mr. Turcotti.
Photo taken from Jean-Denis Brochu’s Facebook
The fraudulent email sent by scammers to Desjardins customers.
Very believable trap
In this fraudulent email, the scammers first invite Desjardins customers to “claim a refund” to reward their loyalty.
Subsequently, by clicking on a link, the victims believe they are connecting to their online bank account and the cybercriminals thus obtain their access.
“Your trust is the driving force behind our commitment to you, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your loyalty to our financial institution,” the scammers ironically conclude in their email using the Desjardins logo, font and colors to trick consumers. Quebecers.
Unlike other emails of its kind, this one is particularly well done with very few typos and in a misleading style that appears to be professionally written.
Jean-Denis Brochu, a resident of Trois-Rivières, was one of the first to sound the alarm Monday about it on Facebook.
“ATTENTION. ATTENTION. New scam, very well done, but don’t take the bait. We ask for 48 hours to allow them to empty your account, ”wrote the man in a publication shared more than 37,000 times on Wednesday. Our request for an interview with Mr. Brochu remained unanswered at the time of publishing this text.
Contact your fund
If you doubt an email or a text message sent by Desjardins, the financial institution advises you to call your caisse directly to validate everything.
“It is important to ask yourself a few questions and consider the message received. Do not click on any links and do not open any images or attachments. It is necessary to determine if the email address of the sender seems known and legitimate to us, in particular after the commercial a”, insists Jean-Benoît Turcotti.
Photo QMI Agency, Joey Lemay
“If there is a link, it must be inspected to determine if it really leads to the site of a legitimate company. Fraudsters sometimes only change one letter, so you have to be vigilant,” he continues.
Note that in 2022, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center recorded losses of $530 million for Canadian victims of fraud and cybercrime. This is an increase of 40%, compared to the year 2021.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONLINE FRAUDERS?
- Do not click on links in unsolicited messages
- Do not download attachments contained in unsolicited messages
- Check messages for spelling errors
- Don’t assume a message is legitimate just because the email address appears to be correct. Fraudsters can change it
- Beware of messages that appear to come from the Government of Canada or a law enforcement agency. They will never contact you to offer you funds by email or electronic transfer
SOURCE : Canadian Anti-Fraud Center