Canadians are being warned about an auto-dialing scam that claims to offer rewards from Air Canada, Air Transat, Air Miles and other travel companies, but is apparently just trying to pry loose people’s credit card details.
“We got a lot of calls about it last month, then it died down about three weeks ago, but now it really seems to be ramping up again,” said Air Miles spokeswoman Teesha Price of the scheme, which in some cases tells people they have won 100,000 Air Miles.
After pressing the number 1 to accept the reward, they’re connected to a live operator, who then asks for credit card information and other personal details.
“Even some people in the office here have gotten the call. At first they get excited because they collect Air Miles. But this is something we’re definitely not involved in, and we’re trying to let people know that,” said Price, who encourages anyone who gets a similar call to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501
The CAFC ( http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/) is a joint operation of the RCMP, the OPP and the federal Competition Bureau.
Air Transat, another company used by the people running the scheme, has also received a number of calls from customers wanting to know if the airline was involved.
“It’s frustrating for any company to have their name used in a fraudulent way,” said Air Transat spokesman Pierre Tessier, who also suggests that anyone who gets a suspicious call should immediately report it to the CAFC.
Air Canada’s Isabelle Arthur called the scheme “a random, old-fashioned telephone scam,” and also pointed people to the CAFC.
Inspector Dave Ross of the Ontario Provincial Police said the use of an auto-dialer alone should be the first clue that something is amiss, because it’s banned by the CRTC.
“There are a few exceptions for the ban, but making commercial sales calls isn’t one of them. So any time you receive a phone call from an auto-dialer on behalf of a company, it should be a red flag right away,” said Ross. He said the OPP is aware of the scheme, but doesn’t know if it’s the subject of an active investigation.
Ross, who spent 10 years with the OPP’s anti-rackets bureau, which also investigates fraud, said keeping personal information close to your vest is simply a good idea.
“Never give out your credit card number or any other kind of personal information over the phone unless you know exactly who you’re talking to,” said Ross. “It’s not just credit card numbers which can be dangerous. SIN numbers, bank information, anything which can be used to help steal your identity.”
While the auto-dialer calls are ostensibly from a number in Saskatchewan, calls made to the number on the call display get an “out of service” message.
The number isn’t currently in use by Sask Tel, which controls 90 per cent of the province’s phone market, says spokeswoman Darcee Macfarlane. Macfarlane said the descriptions of how the scheme operates suggests it’s using some kind of “spoofing” technique, so caller ID shows a different number than is actually being used.
Ross agreed, saying there is no real way to tell where the phone calls are coming from. Some spoofing can be done via third-party phone companies, but much of it is done via the Internet, Ross said.
“The Internet has really opened things up for fraud, and made it possible for people to be operating from almost anywhere,” said Ross.
Article source: http://www.thestar.com/moneyville/saving/smartspending/article/913910–scam-promises-travel-rewards
Category: Spoofing