Tax season is well underway, and scammers are very well aware that it's happening.
Over the next few months, there's a strong possibility you'll see some strange emails that deal with your tax return in some way — get your return faster, verify your information, and so on.
CJAD 800's tech expert Carmi Levy says it's one more thing for you to be on the lookout for.
"This being around tax time, you might expect to get a message from your HR department, your accountant, maybe the CRA or another government agency with information about your return," Levy told CJAD 800, "and so you might be inclined to open it to see what it is."
But opening up a fraudulent email in itself could open your device to malware. And, of course, handing over whatever personal information they may ask you will get you in even more trouble.
"You have to look for what I call 'tells', the signs that this is not anywhere near a legitimate request," Levy says. "If they're asking for personally identifiable information, like your social insurance number, that should be an alarm bell for you. No government agency would ask you to authenticate yourself using your social insurance number."
And obviously, those emails asking for your credit card information — including personal questions that look like should be a huge red flag.
Levy reminds people that those emails that threaten you unless you provide some information or other are almost certainly not legit, either.
"I can guarantee you I don't know anyone who has been pursued, arrested, or charged because they did not respond to an email," he said. "When in doubt, call the service provider from whom you think you got the email. They'll tell you you're being duped."
And if there's any doubt about a suspicious piece of correspondence — trust your gut. It's usually right.