March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the RCMP is warning people to be wary of e-mail scams, especially those that look like they are coming from legitimate sources, but are really designed to gain access to sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details and sometimes, indirectly, money.
 
Recently a citizen in Chester, Nova Scotia received an e-mail that asks the recipient to update their bank account information within 48 hours or their bank accounts will be suspended. The email then asks the recipient to enter their account and personal information.
 
This type of scam is called ‘phishing’, a common online scam designed to trick you into disclosing your personal or financial information for the purpose of financial fraud or identity theft. 
 
To protect yourself against these types of fraud scams, verify that what you’re being told is the actual truth.  If you receive a similar e-mail, contact the business that supposedly sent it to confirm the request before providing any personal or banking information.  Also ask yourself why the business would be asking for personal information over the phone or by e-mail when they likely have such information on file for you already. Often times, a closer look at the e-mail shows grammatical and spelling errors, which may also cause some question regarding its authenticity.
 
For more information on different types of fraud, or to report a suspected fraud incident, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at: http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/. Citizens can also report a fraud incident by calling 1-888-495-8501. As well, all  Canadian Banks and most other companies that deal with money and/or payments have fraud prevention and reporting information on their websites.

Source: Media Release