Ebola phishing scams could be possible as outbreak continues to spread
Calgarians should be vigilant about potential phishing scams related to the Ebola virus outbreak, police say.
While the Calgary Police Service has not received any reports of email or online Ebola scams, the force said in a press release Wednesday residents still need to be cautious about what they click on.
The warning comes after the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Centre in the U.S. issued an advisory on Oct. 16 reminding Americans to protect themselves against email scams using the Ebola virus outbreak as a hook.
Calgary police say phishing scams often contain links directing users to websites that collect personal and login information.
Some of them may contain malicious attachments.
Calgary police say Calgarians should observe the following tips online:
- Never open email attachments or links from unknown sources.
- Be suspicious of emails asking for passwords or personal information.
- Use an anti-virus program, firewall, spam blocker and anti-spyware technology.
- Do not send sensitive photographs, personal, financial or confidential information via email.
- Report unsolicited, harassing or offensive email to the internet service provider or customer service department of the source’s email.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam should contact the Calgary Police Service non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 to make a report.
