This Fraud Prevention Month, know the scams and protect yourself
Fraud Prevention Month in March showcases the rapidly evolving nature of fraud schemes. By staying informed about common and emerging scams that occur on campus, we can better protect ourselves, our personal information, and our finances.
Fraud Prevention Month is an annual campaign by the Government of Canada designed to help Canadians spot, avoid, and report scams.
This year’s theme, “20 Years of Fighting Fraud: From Then to Now”, highlights how fraud has changed over the past two decades, from traditional tactics like telemarketing to modern dangers like social media scams.
“Both the volume and sophistication of malicious emails received by the U of T community have increased significantly,” says Shannon Howes, director, high risk, community safety, and crisis & emergency preparedness. “With so many different kinds of scams out there, it’s getting harder to spot them.”
U of T experts shed light on the risks of fraud, frequent schemes that happen on campus, and strategies to protect yourself.
Understanding fraud on campus
According to Ryan Dow, assistant director, community liaison and support team, campus safety, fraud is defined as using dishonest strategies for personal financial gain.
Fraudsters often create elaborate schemes to prey on emotions, hoping to make you feel scared, excited, or pressured to share private information quickly.
Common fraud schemes include online employment and job scams, health and medical scams, romance scams, sale of merchandise scams, and emergency scams.
“On campus especially, students need to be aware of scholarship scams and people pretending to be from the government or police,” says Ryan. “These scams are designed to steal money and have resulted in significant financial loss to students.”
The Campus Safety Office has played an important role in raising fraud awareness through safety talks, campus booths, fraud prevention brochures, and campaigns such as “Hit Pause on Fraud.” These initiatives promote personal information security and advocate for a healthy scepticism of unsolicited calls and messages.
The Community Safety Office is also dedicated to preventing fraud. “We work hard to identify new scams targeting our community members and we share that knowledge and help people take steps to protect themselves,” says Shannon.
Fraud prevention tips
“Nobody thinks they will be a victim of fraud until they are,” says Ryan. He goes on to emphasize the necessity of incorporating proactive fraud prevention strategies into everyday life.
“Being aware of the contacting protocols of organizations that you engage with is crucial,” adds Shannon.
So, what should you know to avoid becoming a victim?
Do not click links to complete forms that require sensitive personal information; reputable sources—like banks and government organizations—will never request these details from you.
Do not fall for aggressive language or threats of arrest in exchange for money from government officials as they will never do this.
Do not accept requests for payment via e-transfer, pre-paid credit cards, and cryptocurrency from Canadian government agencies; they never utilize these payment methods.
Protect your personal contact information (phone numbers, addresses, emails) and ensure that they are not exposed online.
Be cautious of offers from unknown individuals or entities, such as unsolicited job offers, romantic invitations, and prizes for contests you never entered. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Before acting on a message, verify its legitimacy. Look for spelling errors, check the sender, and question the instructions. For verification before clicking on attached links or divulging personal information, you can forward messages to the Information Technology Services (ITS) team directly at report.phishing@utoronto.ca. You can also check the ‘Phish Bowl’ for a list of known phishing scams reported to the University’s ITS team.
Additional resources
The University offers a variety of fraud support resources for students, staff, and faculty members.
The Campus Safety Office, in partnership with the Community Safety Office, has launched a Fraud Prevention Hub, which will host a series of educational videos during Fraud Prevention Month.
Information Security offers the Security Awareness and Training Program, a series of anti-phishing and cybersecurity focused training courses.
To report instances of fraud, please contact Campus Safety at 416-287-7398 or contact your local police service as soon as possible.