TELUS is warning Canadians about a surge in a common phone scam.
TELUS is working to protect its customers from the fraudulent phone calls, which are affecting wireless and landline customers including businesses, primarily in B.C. and Alberta. The latest scam involves ‘spoofing’, where a fraudster re-programs the caller ID signal to make it appear they are calling from a legitimate business, claiming to represent that organization.
When someone picks up the scam call, the imposter on the other end of the line claims to be TELUS or another organization, saying the person they called has won a prize. Other variants of the scam ask you to press 1 to receive a prize. The imposter will then try to convince the person they’ve called to hand over personal information and credit card numbers in order to collect the alleged prize. This can result in unauthorized charges to a credit card or identity theft. The calls are fraudulent. Consumers should never enter their credit card information when prompted to by an unknown caller or automated call. TELUS recommends customers simply hang up if they receive a call.