Fraudsters began to take advantage of the long power outages caused by the ice storm to try to line their pockets.
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The former director of communications for the Sûreté du Québec Guy Lapointe wanted to warn citizens against a scam targeting Hydro-Québec customers.
“Unfortunately, fraudsters are faster than some outages will be to be restored,” he laments in a tweet.
“We are sending a benefit to help you,” a screenshot reads. The author of the text message invites users to click on a link in order to receive this sum.
It is important not to open this web page, as it could jeopardize your personal information.
Remember that a weather bomb fell on the south of the province on Wednesday evening, plunging hundreds of thousands of homes into darkness. It is the worst episode of freezing rain since the 1998 crisis.
Hydro-Québec hopes to be able to reconnect three quarters of its subscribers by Friday evening.
Phishing
The state corporation reminds the population to be vigilant against the risk of fraud:
- Phishing emails or text messages often exhibit similar characteristics;
- The text contains misspellings or awkward turns of phrase;
- The sender brings up a fictitious problem;
- The sender insists on the urgency of the situation;
- The links in the emails or text messages take you to a web page where you are asked for personal information.
If you have any doubts about any information, you can consult the Hydro-Québec website and access your Customer space.