Phishing scams through text on the rise in Canada, CRTC says | Global News

The federal telecom regulator is reminding Canadians to stay vigilant on their cellphones as more phishing messages are being sent by text. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) told Global News on Thursday that between July and September, 83 per cent of all phishing messages reported to its spam reporting centre were sent as texts. While spam messages sent by email are still the most common type of spam reported, a CRTC spokesperson said in a statement “a shift does appear to be happening for the category of phishing…

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Email, Text Message Attacks Surge During COVID-19 Crisis | CBC News

Cybersecurity experts describe it as a perfect storm: employees working from home — away from their firm’s IT experts and sometimes without the protection of a corporate computer network —  and hungry for information about a mysterious coronavirus. With the COVID-19 crisis as the backdrop, fraudsters appear to be redoubling their efforts to steal information or money from unsuspecting users, sending fake emails and text messages as bait, in a scheme known as phishing. In one scam, fraudsters pretend to be processing EI claims, preying on Canadians who’ve recently lost their jobs.…

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Microsoft: Hackers Compromised Support Agent’s Credentials To Access Customer Email Accounts | TechCrunch

On the heels of a trove of 773 million emails, and tens of millions of passwords, from a variety of domains getting leaked in January, Microsoft has faced another breach affecting its web-based email services. Microsoft has confirmed to TechCrunch that a certain “limited” number of people who use web email services managed by Microsoft — which cover services like @msn.com and @hotmail.com — had their accounts compromised. Read full story here: Microsoft: Hackers Compromised Support Agent’s Credentials To Access Customer Email Accounts | TechCrunch

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Facebook Won’t Let You Opt-Out Of Its Phone Number ‘Look Up’ Setting | TechCrunch

Users are complaining that the phone number Facebook hassled them to use to secure their account with two-factor authentication has also been associated with their user profile — which anyone can use to “look up” your profile. Worse, Facebook doesn’t give you an option to opt-out. The recent hubbub began today after a tweet by Jeremy Burge blew up, criticizing Facebook’s collection and use of phone numbers, which he likened to “a unique ID that is used to link your identity across every platform on the internet.” Read full story…

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Social Engineering Is The New Method Of Choice For Hackers. Here’s How It Works. | CBC News

It happened to Erynn Tomlinson. The former cryptocurrency executive lost about $30,000 in cryptocurrency after hackers used a few of her personal details during interactions with Rogers customer service representatives to ultimately gain access to her account. “I don’t know how to describe it. I was sort of in shock at the whole thing,” said Tomlinson about realizing hackers stole savings she was planning on using for a mortgage. Read full story here: Social Engineering Is The New Method Of Choice For Hackers. Here’s How It Works. | CBC News

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Scammed Senior Citizens Being Recruited As Drug Mules: CBSA | CBC News

Drug trafficking networks are drafting senior citizens to smuggle illicit narcotics into the country, says the Canada Border Services Agency. An intelligence advisory from the CBSA flags the issue and asks staff to be on the lookout for elderly drug importers. It suggests some of the seniors act as mules in response to financial pressure after falling victim to scams spread through phishing email messages, websites, mail and phone calls. Read full story here: Scammed Senior Citizens Being Recruited As Drug Mules: CBSA | CBC News  

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Smishing: A New Security Threat The Targets Smartphones By Text Message | Digital Trends

Phishing remains a serious security problem. According to some reports, one in every 101 emails are malicious and most of those use some form of phishing as a primary scamming tactic. Most people are aware of phishing, but we only look out for threats when checking email. Criminals, however, are one step ahead. Security experts say phishing has come full-force to texting, and it carries even more potential danger than it does through email. Read full story here: Smishing: A New Security Threat The Targets Smartphones By Text Message | Digital…

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