Toronto Police Warn of COVID Scams Targeting Residents Working From Home

As we enter week seven of stay-at-home orders the Toronto Police are warning of a spike in COVID-19-related scams targeting those working from home.

This includes residents receiving text messages demanding banking information to receive payment for fines related to leaving the house too many times in a day.

READ: Nearly 7 Million Canadians Worked From Home in the Final Week of March

“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in phishing scams, both email and text messaging aimed at stealing users credentials and banking information,” says Intelligence Services Cyber Operations Detective/Sgt. John Menard. “Because it’s COVID-related we’re seeing a lot of fake remote login access for businesses, employment insurance payment transfers.

These scams include email and text messages requesting personal bank information for:

Processing government payments for Emergency Benefits or Canada Revenue Agency

Fines for leaving the house too many times in a day

Demands for immediate payment with threats of cancelled services (i.e. streaming sites)

Menard advises anyone who has received a message about one of these issues to reach out to their financial institutions or telecommunications and streaming service companies directly if they are unsure about an email or text message they have received.

— (@)

Residents are also being warned of online scams about fraudulent or corrupt links on topics such as 'delivery details' for those most likely to be using delivery services and 'special offers' for COVID-19-related products/services.

Investigators say they are also aware of fraudulent COVID-19 websites claiming to sell products and services, such as testing kits, cleaning products or remedies and websites advertising information from “health officials” requesting information and/or links to other sites.

Additionally, investigators are warning of various telephone or door-to-door scams including offers to shop for and deliver groceries – these often include a request for credit card information, as well as sales of COVID-19-related products and services.

With no set date in place for when things will start to return to normal, residents will be staying at home for a further while longer. Investigators are reminding residents to stay safe by doing the following:

Do not click on random links

Do not provide your personal information – including banking information

Do not install unknown applications, even if you’re asked to via email/text/etc.

Use two-factor authentication for online payments

Do not use links sent via email/text to access online accounts

Set up strong passwords for new or existing online accounts

Back up your work regularly and work offline, when possible

Use software to protect yourself from malware and viruses

Ontario News

Toronto Police Warn of COVID Scams Targeting Residents Working From Home

The Toronto Police are warning of a spike in COVID-19-related scams targeting those working from home during the stay-at-home order.

Trending

You may also like

However, “weekly tracking” from CREA reveals “a bounce in new supply” around the second week of March, which lead to “a burst of sales” by the end of the month and “a jump in listings” by the first week of April.

A handful of shiny new transit-oriented communities rising in Mississauga — including Liberty Development’s Canopy Towers — are not only redefining the city's skyline, but rewriting what it means to live there.

“Efficiency of the design is really the mantra of Liberty Development; product mix is very important when you’re putting together a condo development,” says Shawn Richardson, Director of Sales and Marketing, Liberty Development Corporation.

This sprawling waterfront estate feels more like a luxury European villa than a typical cottage getaway, and its the perfect destination for full-family fun.

“It is clear we are rapidly transitioning away from a buyers’ market and back to an environment where the seller has the upper hand,” says Royal LePage President Phil Soper.

Described in the listing as “rare art,” the sprawling property is unlike any other on the picture-perfect Shuswap Lake in BC, if not unlike any other in the entire country.

In this series, presented by Spark, STOREYS explores British Columbia's spring market. In today's instalment: a dive into how over the past few months, Metro Vancouver has seen an influx of presale buyer incentives that's reflective of the current state of the market.

The Canadian government will allow 30-year amortization periods on insured mortgages for first-time homebuyers purchasing newly-built homes.​

Before you balk at the price tag, take this in: the site comprises of eight abutting addresses and already has zoning approvals in place for an 11-storey condo building and nine townhomes.

A blend of timeless elegance and modern conveniences — and several family-friendly attributes to boot.

Today, the Ontario government doubled down even further on its relentless mission to speed up government processes and build homes faster.

There is still some “diversity of views” amongst members of Governing Council on the rate cut front, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told reporters on Wednesday.

​It can be tough to choose between a house with a sleek, modern design, or something with a bit more character. But what if you didn’t have to choose?

For too many of Ontario’s nearly one million Muslim residents, the dream of homeownership is unachievable as Canada remains the only G7 country that doesn’t have the necessary financial and regulatory frameworks to enable halal mortgages.

2024 © STOREYS Publishing Inc. | All Rights Reserved

The Canadian government will allow 30-year amortization periods on insured mortgages for first-time homebuyers purchasing newly-built homes.

It can be tough to choose between a house with a sleek, modern design, or something with a bit more character. But what if you didn’t have to choose?