Fraudsters target Rogers customers hit by last week's outage with bogus refund scam - CBC.ca

Scam artists have been using last week's wireless outage at Rogers Communications Inc. as a way to trick people into clicking on fraudulent links.

One fake claim that's made its way to social media falsely says that "R0GERS WIRELESS INC." is offering a $50 credit to make up for the inconvenience if people click on a link.

One clue that it's a fake is that the message spells Rogers with a zero instead of an O, although that's harder to detect because the company name is spelled in capital letters.

Rogers is offering credits to customers, but that $50 flat-rate figure is bogus, and the link is potentially dangerous because it doesn't come from the company.

A Rogers spokesperson said the real credit is equal to one day's service, so the amount depends on the customer. A credit will go automatically to bills in May, so customers are warned not to click on the link.

"Some customers have received scam text messages requesting individuals (to) click on a link to collect a credit," the company says on its website. "These messages are not from Rogers."

A Rogers web page about frauds and scams also asks anybody who receives a suspicious text message to forward it to 7726 (SPAM) because the company doesn't send credit notifications by text.

The company also offers a number of tips for its customers about communications that purport to be from them:

• Check the email address, not just the sender's name. Watch for extra words, symbols or substituted letters, especially in the domain name.

• Links and attachments may contain malicious software, so don't click or open them. Instead, go directly to the source's official site.

• Requests for personal information are a red flag. Major institutions, such as banks and government services, don't ask for those details through email or text.

• Be cautious if the sender requires a quick or urgent response.

• Spelling and grammar mistakes are common in basic phishing messages, so read the message carefully.

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Fraudsters target Rogers customers hit by last week's outage with bogus refund scam - CBC.ca
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