Types of telecom fraud

Many types of telecom fraud exist, including:

• Stolen or lost handsets/equipment
• Mobile phone scams;
• Identity theft and fraud

Top tips to protect yourself:

• Be careful when sharing personal information. Be wary of imposters who might contact you in various ways (phone, email, etc.) to collect personal information, credit card numbers, PINs and other details.

  NOTE: Lucky Mobile will NEVER contact you to ask for this information. To make sure you’re dealing with Lucky Mobile, you can always contact us directly.

• Never share your PINs and passwords. Use complex passwords that are hard to guess, and change them frequently.
• Be wary of unsolicited offers, contests and investment opportunities. Always read the fine print.

Stolen or lost devices or SIM cards

If you suspect your device or SIM card has been compromised in any way, we recommend that you suspend your services through My Account.

We will add your device to the national list for lost or stolen mobile devices so that it cannot be used on any network in Canada.

If your device was stolen, report the theft to local police.

You should also:

• Inform your financial institution as soon as possible as mobile phone numbers are used for banking website authentication.
• Update ALL of your passwords used for online access to banking, luckymobile.ca, social media sites, etc.

Preventing theft

Tips to reduce the risk of theft:

• Use the lock code or password feature on your device at all times.
• Keep your phone secured and out of sight when not in use.
• You can use apps for tracking and erasing your phone if lost or stolen.
• Keep a record of your device details in a safe place (phone number, make and model, colour and appearance details, IMEI and PIN number).

Mobile phone scams, SIM swap and porting fraud

If you suspect your device or SIM card has been compromised in any way, please contact the Lucky Mobile Loss Prevention team immediately at 1 800 509-9904.

You should also:

• Inform your financial institution as soon as possible as mobile phone numbers are used for banking website authentication.
• Update ALL of your passwords used for online access to banking, bell.ca, social media sites, etc.

SIM swap and porting fraud

SIM swap is a type of identity theft that occurs when a fraudster uses a combination of techniques to obtain your personal Lucky Mobile account information. They use this information to satisfy our strictly enforced customer authentication processes to request a SIM change. After the SIM change, the fraudster will use your account for voice/text/data/international calling, and possibly to commit further identity theft fraud using your mobile number for authentication purposes such as at financial institutions.

Porting fraud is another type of identity theft that occurs when a fraudster obtains your personal account information to transfer your phone number from one service provide to another. All network operators adhere to the same number porting system administered by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. Porting fraud is similar to SIM Swap, as the fraudster is looking to gain control of your mobile phone number to facilitate other types of fraud which could include access to your banking and other accounts.

In an effort to reduce wireless number portability fraud, Lucky Mobile as well as other wireless carriers have launched a new port authorization process. Due to this new process, Lucky Mobile will no longer be offering Port Protection services.

How to protect yourself:

• Don’t respond to requests for personal information such as your bank account number, even if they say they are from a company’s customer service, help desk or corporate security department.
• Be wary of seemingly urgent messages, slightly altered websites, and text messages with spelling and grammatical errors.
• Don’t forward warnings that come with labels like “send this to everyone you know”, even if they appear to come from a credible source. These messages are hoaxes, and if they include any links or attachments, they can be dangerous to your friends’ computers.
• Never share your PINs and passwords. Use complex passwords that are hard to guess and change them regularly. Do not reuse passwords across accounts or websites.

How do fraudsters get your personal information?

Fraudsters will attempt to trick people into divulging personal or confidential information such as addresses, account numbers, contract details and passwords. This can occur in person, by phone, email or text messaging, and can lead to identity theft fraud and financial losses.

Fraudsters can use an urgent or distressing background story to exploit a person’s inclination to help others, or it can be personalized to be meaningful to you. These social engineering techniques can be difficult to recognize. It’s very important for customers to be cautious about any requests to share personal information.

Phishing

Phishing is a form of fraud that uses email messages with phony addresses, websites or pop-up windows to gather your personal information, which can then be used for identity theft.

A scammer might send an email asking you to update your Lucky Mobile billing details to keep your account active. The email will ask you to click on a link taking you to a website that looks like Lucky Mobile’s, where you’ll be asked for your login and account details. Alternately, the email may say you have a problem and need to click on or open an attachment to solve it. But if you click on it, you could install something damaging to your device, or trigger your device to send your personal information to the phisher.

Phishing can also be in the form of emails offering money for work-at-home jobs, or asking for help with frozen bank accounts, or offering discounted pharmaceuticals, trips, etc.

Vishing

With vishing (voice phishing), the scammer will attempt to gather your personal or financial information over the phone instead of by email. A scammer might call to sell you new rate plans (which are phony), ask you to complete a survey, promise you an incentive or tell you that they’re updating your account and want you to “confirm” details.

As another example, a pre-recorded message promises you travel rewards or a $100 credit on your next bill and directs you to a fake site that “looks” legitimate or to a 1 800 number.

The goal is to trick you into releasing passwords, PINs, banking or credit card details which can then be used for fraud.

Smishing

Smishing (SMS phishing) uses text messaging to gather personal or financial information that can be used for identity theft.

A scammer might send you a text message asking you to visit a specific website or to call a number. At this point, you would be asked to provide sensitive information, such as credit card number, to access an account or for “security reasons”. The message usually demands your immediate attention.

Here are some examples:

• "We confirm that you have signed up for our dating service. You will be charged $2 a day unless you cancel your order on this URL: [URL]".
• "(Name of popular online bank) confirms that you have purchased a computer from (name of popular computer company). Visit [URL] if you did not make this online purchase"
• "(Name of a financial institution): Your account has been suspended. Call 235.654.6969 immediately to reactivate"

The URL provided will likely bring you to a credible-looking website that will ask for personal information to continue.

How do I know if communications I receive are really from Lucky Mobile?

Lucky Mobile communicates with customers regularly, and we have rules about requesting personal information as well as what we include in our communications.

Communications to our customers will never:

- Request personal information, such as passwords, PIN numbers, banking or credit card information (unless we are responding to an initial telephone inquiry made by you).

- Include links to virus removal tools.

- Include executable (.exe) file attachments (programs).

If you have any doubt or concern about a communication you receive from us, please contact Lucky Mobile customer service.

How to protect yourself

• Be realistic; if it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is.
• Don’t respond to requests for personal information such as your bank account number in an email.
• Be wary of alarmist, seemingly urgent messages, slightly altered web addresses and text messages with spelling and grammar mistakes.
• Don’t forward virus warnings that come with "send this to everyone you know" requests, even if they appear to come from a credible source. These messages are hoaxes, and if they include any links or attachments, they can be dangerous to yours and your friends’ computers.
• Be aware of the communication policies of the companies you use and what types of messages they will send.

How to report it

• If you think you’ve been a target of any type of phone or Internet fraud, you should call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre, at
  1 888 495-8501 or visit Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre , opens in new tab.
• If the phishing scam involves the false representation of Lucky Mobile, email the situation to phish@luckymobile.ca

Malware

Malware programs are transmitted through the Internet and can be installed on your phone when you download certain apps or files, or if you visit certain websites.

Malware lets criminals access your phone to disrupt its operations or to change or steal data. Malware can be difficult to detect, as it generally doesn’t appear in the list of installed programs.

How to protect yourself

• Beware of email, text or Facebook messages containing shortened links or other attachments.
• Select apps that let you opt out of information sharing.
• Before downloading an app, do some research and see if it has been reviewed by a reputable source. Avoid the latest trend until it has been out long enough to earn the trust of reputable reviewers.
• Be aware that your phone will be more susceptible to malware if you jailbreak it (i.e., modify or override its operating system to remove restrictions).

How to report it

If you have been a victim of identity theft, you can visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre , opens in new tab or call them at 1 888 495-8501.

Missed call/One ring scam

The missed call scam or one ring scam is a type of fraud where scammers call your phone and hang up quickly. Your phone registers a missed call from a number you don’t recognize. If you call the number to find out who called you, you may end up paying a premium rate for the call without warning. The same can be done using text messaging.

How to protect yourself

• Never reply to missed calls or text messages from numbers you do not recognize.
• Don’t call or send text messages to phone numbers beginning with 1 900 unless you are aware of the cost involved.
• Read the terms and conditions of all offers very carefully. Services offering free or very cheap products often have hidden costs.

Identity theft & fraud

Identity theft

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information. To obtain your information, a criminal might pose as a legitimate business and contact you by phone, mail, or email message (also known as “phishing”).

A criminal might even search your trash for mail containing personal information and credit card receipts. In many cases, a pre-approved credit card application gives the criminal enough information to set up a credit card in your name.

How to protect yourself

• Don’t give out your personal information. Legitimate companies will never call or email you to request information such as passwords, bank account information or credit card numbers unless they’re responding directly to an inquiry you know you have made.
• To make sure you’re dealing with Lucky Mobile, you can always contact us directly. Be cautious about posting personal information on public websites, such as social networking sites. Fraudsters might use those details to convince you that they represent Lucky Mobile or other companies.
• Use a shredder to destroy documents that contain personal information.
• Keep your passwords, bank account information and social insurance number confidential at all times.

How to report it

If you have been a victim of identity theft, you can visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre , opens in new tab or call them at 1 888 495-8501.

Social engineering

What is social engineering?

A social engineering scam gets people to perform specific actions or divulge confidential information through psychological manipulation. It can be done on the Internet, over the telephone or in person. Once the scammer obtains the desired information, it can be used for identity theft, industrial espionage and other criminal activities, or to simply disrupt the normal course of business.

• A caller may try to sell new plans (which are phony), ask you to complete a survey, promise you some kind of incentive, or they may tell you that they’re updating your account and want you to “confirm” details.
• A pre-recorded message promises you travel rewards or a $100 credit on your next bill and directs you to a fake site that “looks” legitimate or to a 1 800 number.

The goal is to trick you into releasing passwords, PINs, banking or credit card details which can then be used for fraud.

Subscription fraud

What is subscription fraud?

Making a dishonest application using false information, or genuine but stolen information (identify theft) together with forged or stolen documentation to obtain a post-paid subscription(s) to an operator's services with no intention to pay for the service at the time of application. These documents may include; passports, driver's licenses, utility bills, bank details, work permits, etc., or whatever the network operator has specified as necessary to obtain service.

• Keeping an eye on your credit report is your first step to protecting yourself.
• Don’t give out your personal information. Legitimate companies will never call or email you to request information such as passwords, bank account information or credit card numbers unless they’re responding directly to an inquiry you know you have made.
• To make sure you’re dealing with Lucky Mobile, you can always contact us directly. Be cautious about posting personal information on public websites, such as social networking sites. Fraudsters might use those details to convince you that they represent Lucky Mobile or other companies.
• Use a shredder to destroy documents that contain personal information.
• Keep your passwords, bank account information and social insurance number confidential at all times.
• Check your bank and credit card statements frequently for suspicious charges.

How to report it

If you are victims of subscription fraud at Lucky Mobile you should report it immediately to Lucky Mobile customer service.

Reporting

To report Telemarketing, Email or Internet Fraud; contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre , opens in new tab.

If you believe there is phishing with false representation of Lucky Mobile, contact us at phish@luckymobile.ca