RCMP are warning about email scam

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This article was published 02/06/2015 (3867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Headingley RCMP Cpl. Ron McDonald has issued a warning about an ongoing email scam that has reached local residents.

“The email says your public records have been searched. There is a link to check it out further, but if the link is clicked, malware is then installed on your computer,” he wrote in an email message.

He included the following information provided by the Better Business Bureaus’ Scam Stopper:
“You receive an email with the subject line: ‘Someone recently viewed your background-information.’ The message claims to be an automatically generated notification that someone ‘has just recently ordered the results of your background-check.’

At the bottom of the message is a link to ‘find out more about this new-scan.’ Don’t click on the link. This email is a scam, and the link will download malware to your computer.”

According to the Better Business Bureau, in general, it’s best not to click on links that come in unsolicited emails.

Scams often pretend to be personalized for you, but they are actually blast emails. If you never signed up for custom email alerts, you shouldn’t be receiving them.

Check out the ‘From’ field. Scammers have the ability to mask email addresses, making the message appear to come from a legitimate source. But they don’t always use it so look for email addresses that don’t match the brand used in the email message.

Watch for typos, strange phrasing and bad grammar. Scammers can easily copy a brand’s logo and email format, but awkward wording and poor grammar are typically a giveaway that the message is a scam.

Hover over URLs to reveal their true destination. Typically, the hyperlinked text will say one thing, but the link will point somewhere else. Scammers either set up fake websites or hack into third-party sites and use them to host malware.

To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper at www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper

— Staff