“Can I be cheated through electronic transfer?” – There are other questions about protecting myself from fraud
Sometimes fraud is sneaky – although who can blame someone who wants to pay the bill? For Daria, she and six friends paid Bailey, a “travel hacker” to travel to Thailand in January 2024. aThere is a club group (remember the conversation app?), and Daria and the other members get good tips for Bailey and other common models. (The name has been changed as the case has not been resolved.)
The seven women paid Bailey a hotel room and flew 20 hours to Thailand from North America, only to find Bailey didn’t join them until a few days later. Then, to their fear, Bailey never showed up and she canceled her trip in two days and She never paid for the seven women to their room. Only one received a refund. Others have issued a credit card rejection and have even contacted the FBI.
It seems like scams and phishing attacks are everywhere. If they don’t call or text, they will send you a message. In each. Single. platform. Just as I was writing this post, I had two phone calls threatening me and texting to ask me to verify my address.
It is annoying at best and at worst it is financially devastating. Canadians lost $638 million in 2024, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC). Knowing that CAFC estimates only 5% to 10% of people report fraud.
Why do scams and phishing work on Canadians?
Why do we need fraud, scams and phishing? Maggie Cheung, spokesman for the Canadian Bankers Association, said it was due to deception, manipulation and stress strategies.
“Cyber criminals often use human psychology and the art of manipulation to scare, confuse or rush you to open up malicious connections or attachments, or provide personal information through a process called social engineering,” she said.
These social engineering strategies force us to respond quickly by using fear (for example, statistics you owe Canadian Tax Agency to pay) and use our urging to respond to authority. (The CEO does need you to send that bank transfer now, and the email looks real.) These stress strategies are so complex that you can trust. That’s why Cut’s finance writers found themselves investing $50,000 in cardboard boxes.
Common types of scams
Zhang said anyone could be a victim of a scam. That’s because convinced you that the technology is complicated, and that cybercriminals are good at telling a believable story. Some of the most popular scams are:
