The Greater Sudbury Police Service has been made aware of e-mails being received by local residents, some claiming to be from a particular Financial Institution / Bank to confirm verification of personal information and others claiming to be Revenue Canada advising that someone is entitled to their tax refund (sample attached). In most cases, the intent is to have the victim click on an attached link to get further details.
Those Institutions have been contacted and they reiterate that they do not ask customers for this information on the internet via e-mails. All e-mails of this kind should be deleted in order to protect all your personal details and they should not be responded to, under any circumstances.
If you really feel the need to follow-up or confirm legitimacy of the message, you are strongly encouraged to contact that agency by telephone, at the number you will find in the phone book or on their official website – do not rely on any information that would be included in the initial e-mail you received.
Remain vigilant and you are encouraged to assist family and friends who may be at risk of becoming a victim!
Below is a sample of the types of email that have been circulating:
For more information on scam/fraud prevention, please visit the following websites:
Canadian Anti-Fraud Center -- http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/english/home.html
Canada Revenue Agency -- www.cra-arc.gc.ca or http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html