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The Newfoundland and Labrador government is warning of multiple scams circulating leading up to the holidays.
Since Dec. 4, the province has put out two public advisories warning the public of scammers trying to obtain personal information.
The first scam involves a text message appearing to be from MyGovNL and instructs the recipient to click a link to a fake website where they will be prompted to provide personal information.
Mike Goosney, the minister responsible for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, said the government would never ask someone for information by clicking on a link.
“It can grab the information from your personal data [and] oftentimes it’ll link into your financial accounts or to get passwords,” he told CBC Radio’s Newfoundland Morning.
“And then it’s basically an open book for hackers to be able [to] do the harm, which is a lot of times financial.”
He says the text can appear legitimate and once scammers receive personal information, it can allow them to access financial accounts.
“It’s just so disheartening to think that someone could work all their life and with the click of a button, someone could take it away from them,” Goosney said.
The province says if someone receives a scam text message, they should forward it to 7726 to alert their cellular provider.
They should then delete the message, block the number and report it to local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
The second scam the province is warning of is a telephone call claiming to be on the behalf of Premier Tony Wakeham, asking for personal information in exchange for a senior’s bonus.
Goosney says the scammers are looking to prey on seniors’ vulnerability
“It is very much alarming if you don’t feel it’s something or if you do feel it’s something that’s too good to be true, to delete right away. And you know, let authorities know.”
If anyone receives such a phone call, the province is asking them to immediately hang up without providing any information, and then report it to the RNC or RCMP.
Reports to the RNC can be made online or by calling 709-729-8000, and reports to the RCMP can be made by contacting the local detachment or calling 1-800-709-7267.
Goosney says the government is working to track these scams, and that they are working on providing more education about scams to the public.
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