Scammers capitalizing on COVID19 fears

By Shelby Knox

Published: March 27, 2020 at 2:33 PM

Unknown number calling in the middle of the night. Phone call from stranger. Person holding mobile and smartphone home late.istock.com/Tero Vesalainen

Prime Minister Trudeau warned the nation of a new scam making the rounds based on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit

Some people are capitalizing on COVID-19 fears to stage new scams.

Prime Minister Trudeau warned the nation of a new scam making the rounds during his national address yesterday.

He says some Canadians are getting text messages claiming to offer money through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

This is a scam – the application for the CERB isn’t expected to be available until early next month.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Aaron Mauro at Brock’s Centre for Digital Humanities warns of the potential for increased ransomware attacks as more and more people work from home.

He encourages everyone to carefully check email addresses and avoid opening links to suspicious files.