Communiqué – The Hawkesbury Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding community members that frauds and scams continue to be reported to police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Phishing is a scam in which an email that appears to be from a recognizable institution or company such as a bank or online subscription service such as Netflix or Amazon is received by you. The email may claim that you need to update your account, or that your tax refund is ready. Whatever the message is, the email is an attempt to trick you into providing your personal and financial information.

Malicious Links are variations of phishing emails that encourages you to click on links or attachments. The email may seem to be a receipt from a recent purchase, a delivery notification, or something more urgent, such as a notice to appear in court.

If you click on the attachment your computer is infected with a virus or malware.

TIPS to Protect Yourself:

·        Never give out personal information unless you have verified the source and the person asking for it is legally entitled to that information;

·        Don’t be afraid to say « no », hang up; and,

·        Some websites, such as music, games, and movies, may try to install viruses or malware without your knowledge. Watch out for emails with spelling and formatting errors, and be wary of clicking on any attachments or links.

For more information please visit: the Canadian Anti-Fraud center online at www.antifraudcentre.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.